Winchesters Bound for Overseas Production
August 24, 2006
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August 24, 2006 – Olin Corporation and the Herstal Group recently announced a deal to have a Herstal subsidiary manufacture Winchester rifles and shotguns. Left out of the announcement is the likely location of the new production – low-wage sweatshops in Turkey.
This concludes what was essentially a slow-motion version of the run-away shop, with Herstal and Olin going through an elaborate process designed to absolve them of corporate guilt for abandoning New Haven after more than 140 years of Winchester production, and leaving 186 dedicated, long-service employees without jobs.
“We made every effort to keep Winchester where it belongs, in New Haven,” said John Harrity, Director of GrowJobsCT. “Unfortunately, as many suspected all along, Herstal’s real agenda was to go through the motions so they could move Winchester overseas.”
The City of New Haven must now move quickly to find a new manufacturer to fill the Science Park location left vacant by Herstal, explained Harrity. “The most important thing now is to get Winchester workers back to work. The City of New Haven and the State of Connecticut need to roll up their sleeves and make this happen.”
