3 SEP 06: SWIFT SADLY

Who was the genius who came up with this idea? You tell mill workers they're losing their jobs - at the start of Labor Day weekend?! Do these business managers really want a surge of union votes?!

The "lousy timing of the year" award may go to Swift Galey, which told Columbus employees Friday both local plants will close by October 30. At least the employees received nearly two months' notice - but announcing this right before Labor Day tells me the management wasn't taught about Labor Day in their M.B.A. programs.

(When I think about Labor Day, I recall a commentary by the late Chuck McClure on WRCG. It somewhat mocked lines of Northern union workers years ago who reportedly were "marching in phalanx." In this part of the country, they don't even march in Phenix....)

As many as 800 workers will lose their jobs, when Swift Galey closes. Who knows how many of them will mark the Labor Day holiday with a protest cookout - and burn denim clothing in their Char-Broil grills?

Swift Galey actually plans to combine operations with "Denim North America" near Woodruff Farm Road. The new name will be "Swift Galey D.N.A." But you wonder if even the workers there will pass the D.N.A. test....

Swift Galey managers say demand for their products simply has declined. You know, maybe the name is part of the problem. In a Bible Belt city, anything called "Galey" immediately is held in suspicion.

Mayor Bob Poydasheff says the cutbacks by Swift Galey shows what can happen when Columbus competes in a global economy. Come to think of it, the mayor's reelection speech only mentioned the jobs which entered Columbus in the last three-and-a-half years - he didn't mention how many had left.

But not all the labor news is negative this Labor Day weekend. The Columbus Chamber of Commerce announced Pitts Enterprises will employ 50 workers, and build trailers on Victory Drive. I assume the Chamber now will begin negotiations, to ensure The Waggoners attach the trailers to their trucks.

E-MAIL UPDATE: More messages keep arriving about the world champion Northern Little League team - one going back to the regional tournament:

The booster club at CHS rented a Tahoe for Bobby to drive to the Little League play off in FLa...who said there is no recruiting in Columbus,oh that was Charlie Flowers..

I've been too busy to confirm this claim about Columbus High baseball coach Bobby Howard. But apparently the booster club had money left over, more than two months after the high school season ended. I'm not sure why Coach Howard didn't - since his baseball camps couldn't possibly have been rained out.

Here's one more message about the world champs:

I hope a contractor names some streets for the boys..How cool,Kyle Court,Justin Dr,.....

We suggested here the other day at least one Columbus road was named after a Little Leaguer years ago - but Cody Road disappeared, for those highfalutin' university folks.

A quick check of the Columbus city map finds one Little League player's first name already is taken. There's a Mason (Meyers) Street south of Martin Luther King Boulevard, near Elizabeth Canty Homes. How many times do you think his family has even driven close to that neighborhood?

By the way, the Northern All-Stars were honored at halftime of Saturday night's Notre Dame-Georgia Tech football game. It may have marked the first time in years that Tech fans applauded a team wearing North Carolina's colors.

POWER FRISBEE TODAY: If any place in the state should be filled with frisbee fans, you'd think it's the University of Georgia. Power Frisbee heads to Athens today - but no, we resisted the temptation to play on the lawn, in the middle of the campus.

Our radio ads in Athens note the tickets to Power Frisbee cost only five dollars. "Try getting into that Bulldog game for five dollars, and see what they tell you," we note. Come to think of it, you may have trouble finding a place to park on game days for five dollars.

There's already an ominous sign about today's Power Frisbee matches. The high school who's letting us rent their stadium told us at midweek the public address system would NOT be available today. We may need two sets of tryouts - one for frisbee throwers, the other like the National Hollering Contest.

Now for other notes from the holiday weekend:

+ Russell County Sheriff Tommy Boswell told WRBL he plans to ask the county commission for a 20-percent department-wide raise. Yeow, not even Jim Wetherington is daring to promise something like that....

+ WRBL presented its Saturday night late newscast from the "Opelika-Auburn News." Anchor Heather Jensen promised they'll be back in Columbus Monday night -- and I'm hearing they'll have a new news set. Unless, of course, the Muscular Dystrophy telethon gets so wild that it gets torn up....

(Yet for some odd reason, the weather and sports on WRBL were presented from Columbus. I've heard of TV newsrooms having tension and turmoil on weekends, but this may top them all.)

+ Auburn University's Trustees voted to change Ed Richardson's title from "Interim President" to "President." It took them more than two years to reach this decision -- which makes you wonder how long "temporary employees" are allowed to work on campus.

+ Alabama held off Hawaii 25-17 in its season opener. Some of the Hawaii players had special uniforms, which they could attach to machinery on the sidelines to blow 40-degree cold air inside their jerseys. [True/WEAM-AM] Why a team from Hawaii would be so worried about Alabama heat and humidity, I have no idea....

+ The Atlanta Falcons made their final roster cuts, and released linebacker Chad Lavalais. Lavalais was declared "Mo Money, Mo Money, Mo Money" by a Louisiana State sideline reporter when he played there - and now that reporter may find Lavalais asking him for a loan.

+ Instant Message to the Bavarian House restaurant on Weems Road: What gives here? Your sign outside promised music from "Wally and Mike" next weekend - and now it only says Wally. Did Wally decide he could perform without a Mike?

COMING NEXT: (Likely on Tuesday) Georgia ranks number 50, in something powerful....

People across metro Columbus and around the world read this blog every day. To advertise to them, offer a story tip or comment on this blog, write me - but be warned, I may post your e-mail comment and offer a reply.

BURKARD BULK MAIL INDEX: 8210 (+ 287, 3.6%)

If you mention this blog in public, please be polite enough to let me know.

© 2003-06 Richard Burkard, all rights reserved.