There is no doubt in Gary Schifer's mind. If workers at the Bucyrus Timken plant had voted to unionize, it would have meant death for the plant.

"Past history suggests it," Schifer said. "Plants use the same part numbers as we do down south. They can get them cheaper than we can."

Schifer got his wish. Timken employees voted overwhelmingly Friday to turn down a union as its sole bargaining representative.

By a vote of 363-139, employees denied a bid by the United Steelworkers of America. Timken workers voted Friday during their regular shifts.

Union supporters argued that bringing in the Steelworkers would mean improved benefits and retiring pensions.

Workers of the Canton Timken plant are part of the Steelworkers union, but those in Bucyrus have never unionized.

Schifer, who lives on West Charles Street, has worked for Timken for 37 years. He said union plants in Canton have been affected in recent years.

"They could move this plant right now," Schifer said, adding that two union Timken plants near Canton have already been shut down.

"This vote is very important," Schifer said.

The firm has already decided to close the distribution portion of the Bucyrus complex, letting go 290 of its 600 employees.

Timken workers affected by labor conditions are impacted by the current trade situation are eligible for a new government program, the U.S. Department of Labor announced Friday.

Displaced Timken employees are eligible for the Trade Adjustment Assistance program.

"The U.S. Department of Labor is committed to supporting all workers, including those who are impacted by trade," U.S. Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis said. "Through the Trade Adjustment Assistance program, we are leveraging opportunities for displaced workers to acquire the skills needed to secure good jobs in promising areas of their local economies."

Bucyrus City Council member Ken Emerson wrote in a recent letter to the editor that Timken has done a lot for the community.

"(Timken) has provided hundreds of thousands of dollars for our hospital, for our YMCA, for our library, for our airport, for our Little League Field of Dreams, for our antique tractor museum, for our murals, for the Bucyrus Area Community Foundation, for Lowe-Volk Park, the list goes on and on. The company has also paid for more cars and trucks, more homes, more college educations and more vacations than any other entity in the area."

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