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Community rallies around employees Continued from pg. 1 Bob McCandless, a 23-year Curwood employee who works as a warehouseman, is also looking positively toward the future. "I'll be fine. I'll find work," says McCandless, 45, married with two children. He says he already has some job prospects lined up. McCandless, a steward with Communications, Energy, and Paperworkers (CEP) Union of Canada, Local 591G, says lower management at the Georgetown plant has been helping the employees cope with the closure, but that's not been the case with upper management. "Upper management has not said a word to the people in the plant. I think there's some bitterness in the fact that nobody really dealt face to face with us." He says so far all the company's offered the employees is the bare minimum for severance-- one week for every year of service, but the union and company have set another negotiation date. Union president Norm Beattie says the community has rallied around the Curwood employees. On hand for an information meeting Saturday that drew about 100 Curwood workers were union officials, Halton Hills Mayor Rick Bonnette, Halton MPP Ted Chudleigh, and representatives from Wellington-Halton Hills MP Michael Chong's office, the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities, Federal Service Canada and Halton Region. At the meeting Bonnette announced the Town would provide a room in Mold Union president Norm Beattie addresses Curwood workers at Saturday's information meeting. Photo by Sabrina Byrnes Masters SportsPlex to be used as a job adjustment Action Centre beginning tentatively the first week of March. Bonnette says the Town and Union immediately contacted Curwood officials and pressed for a financial contribution. They were successful, and got $25,000 for the adjustment process, which matches a $25,000 provincial contribution. "I am pleased that in this difficult time, Curwood employees will have this one location where they can get comprehensive information on retraining options, employment insurance benefits, job search support and other counseling," says Bonnette. --By Lisa Tallyn, staff writer