After 32 years of layin' the dog,
Now its time to ride my hawg.
See ya guys, its been a gas.
Oh yeah, Stelco KMA!!

I retired April 3rd 2009 from Stelco after receiving an option of lay-off with no definite recall date or take a reduced pension and run. I would guess that approximately 80% of the guys did the same thing. Way too many signs on the wall: PCB transformers not being changed out, changerooms being dismantled, no maintenance or repairs for years now. We should of seen the signs when USSteel bought the place and the first thing they did was a little "cleanup" with any old metal or steel being separated and shipped out, looking back now it seems obvious they just wanted Nanticoke and they took Hilton Works as a free throw in to run into the ground with no maintenance and then crying "old equipment too expensive to repair" later on. Just part of the Grand Corporate Plan, and we were the unlucky pawns on the wrong game board. Could be worse, I have lots of buddies with less than 30 years, so no retiring for them.

Don't get me wrong, I found out within by first few months that we all more or less get paid the same amount in the operating side, so why do anything extra. I quickly gravitated towards to "dogger" jobs and spent a career there. I did as little as I possible could during my shift, and looking back now to see how things turned out during our constant battles with different management groups, I am damn proud of it! I took them for as much as I could, and they tried to get the same from me.

To this day I still bunch my pillow into a ball to resemble a pile of rags. Then ZZZZZZ time! And I haven't worked a night shift in 10 years or more. Just goes to show: old habits do die hard.