J. D. McGee's Memos to File on Picketing at the Manville Plant (1979)

Three short memos to file, dated October 11 and 12, 1979, by J. D. McGee at Johns-Manville's Denver headquarters, on picketing at the Manville, New Jersey plant reportedly led by Thaddeus Kowalski for the "Committee to Improve Benefits for Retired, Disabled Workers and their Dependents." About 20 pickets came with signs. One woman carried "a big bunch of hair" with the sign "This is my husband's hair," and another sign read "Give me back my husband - I will give back my $18/wk Workmen's Compensation."

What it shows

By 1979 retired and disabled Manville workers and their families were protesting in public over compensation for asbestos disease. The memos record how the company followed the protest: plant management alerted the police, a plain-clothes detective stood nearby, and headquarters asked to be kept informed while keeping J-M's reaction "low key." The picketing was orderly and over by 12:15. Other signs asked "What is dignity?" and "What is the formula?"

In Johns-Manville's chronology

Johns-Manville's own chronology of what the company knew describes this document as follows:

J.D. McGee, in various memorandums to file, dated October 11 and 12, 1979, re: Reported Thaddeus Kowalski Leading Picketing, Demonstrating and Parading at the Manville, New Jersey plant. This is a series of three memorandums reporting on picketing at the Manville plant. The demonstrations appear to have been organized by the Committee to Improve Benefits for Retired, Disabled Workers and their Dependants. McGee reports "one woman out of the pickets was carrying a big bunch of hair with the sign, "This is my husband's hair." Another sign reads: "Give me back my husband -- I will give back my $18/wk Workmen's Compensation."