In 1935, a labor dispute in Indiana and the resulting closing ofa clothing manufacturing company caused untold hardship onemployees, families and the economy of Terre Haute, Indiana.

At the same time, a decision by owners to move theirmanufacturing plant to a poor Mississippi town brought opportunity,hope and jobs to a desperate community struggling to survive duringthe period in the 1930s known as the Great Depression.

That company was Stahl-Urban and the community wasBrookhaven.

Frustrated with ongoing labor union disputes, the owners of theIndiana Stahl-Urban plant shut the doors on a Friday, loadedequipment on railroad cars and shipped everything south toBrookhaven. The bitterness in one community turned into joy andrelief in another.

To paraphrase an old saying, “one community’s problem becameanother’s opportunity.”

Brookhaven’s and the area’s economy flourished for the next 40years, as the company grew and prospered before being sold toKellwood in the late 1970s.

Some 71 years later, a Brookhaven manufacturing plant is deep ina struggle with labor unions.

As part of its bankruptcy reorganization plan, DelphiCorporation announced last week that the Brookhaven plant would beamong eight plants across the country which they hope to keepopen.

That is extremely good news for our community, but bad news for21 communities across the country that are losing their plants andthe thousands of jobs those plants provide. One of those plants tobe closed is in Laurel.

The Brookhaven operation has always been a strong plant andtoday remains as one of Delphi’s most profitable and high techoperations – a tribute to the local labor force.

While this area can cheer the good news, some who work at Delphihave a bittersweet perspective.

Job security is one thing. Taking a cut in pay and benefits is ahard pill to swallow.

While our community dodged a bullet last week, the issue is farfrom over. An advertisement placed in the DAILY LEADER Tuesday bythe national office of the International Union of ElectricalWorkers-Communication Workers of America (IUE-CWA) suggestsagreements are far from settled, as the union appears to be drawinga line in the sand.

While IUE-CWA is a national organization with local ties, wehave to wonder if its national interests are really in the bestinterests of local union members as well as our localcommunity?

As Delphi and its labor unions struggle over some very realissues, our hope is that reasonable heads will prevail.

While we live in a global economy these days, here in southwestMississippi, ours is also a local one – dependent on localjobs.

Seventy-one years ago, Terre Haute, Indiana, learned that lessonthe hard way.

Write to Bill Jacobs at P.O. Box 551, Brookhaven MS 39602,or send e-mail to bjacobs@dailyleader.com.