C. L. Sheckler to All Industrial Relations Managers on Union Requests for Dust Count Records (1961)

A confidential memo of November 30, 1961, from C. L. Sheckler at J-M's General Headquarters to all Industrial Relations Managers, copied to C. W. Hite and H. M. Ball, after the union at the Manville, New Jersey plant asked for "specific dust count reports and records." Sheckler wrote that furnishing dust or fume counts, "favorable or unfavorable," "would serve no constructive purpose, could be readily misinterpreted, and adversely utilized," and "could defeat the entire purpose of our health program." Managers were to keep any discussion "in broad, generalized terms" and not give out "specific atmospheric hygiene, medical, Workmen's Compensation, or other record information, either verbally or in writing."

What it shows

The memo told managers to stress instead that J-M complied with state rules and had adopted the American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists' Threshold Limit Values as its standard, and to report any request from a union, committee or individual to headquarters at once. The attached four-page paper on the company's atmospheric sampling says that "any material, regardless of its degree of toxicity, can be handled safely," and that using a material such as "asbestos or diatomaceous earth" does not in itself mean an uncontrolled hazard. In 1961 J-M's policy was to keep its plant dust measurements, and workers' medical and compensation records, from the unions representing the men exposed. Sheckler made the same point to managers in 1963, when he described dust surveys as records for litigation (Industrial Relations Managers' Meeting).

In Johns-Manville's chronology

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

Memorandum dated 11/30/61, to all Industrial Relations Managers from Sheckler re requests from labor groups for atmospheric hygiene records and reports states that furnishing such information "would serve no constructive purpose, could be readily misinterpreted, and adversely utilized." Recommends that if it becomes essential to discuss such information, the discussion should be kept as general as possible and specific atmospheric, hygiene, medical, workmen's compensation information should not be provided either orally or in writing.