Show Displaced ed Workers y Wonder Next a aThis f This is first of a two-part two series regarding off laid-off copper man David James James' His life since the shutdown parallels the lives of many students who are here fighting new challenges in their disrupted disrupt d lives i 1 J J by Connie R. R Bell BellI iSome I J 4 Some Som big American copper companies Anaconda and Phelps Dodge for example ventured into foreign countries and developed copper mines The he foreign countries in turn nationalized copper mines in Chile and South Africa They did this strictly for the profits they could make said David James President of Local Union United Steel Workers of America and a student at The World Bank had just loaned Chile 30 million prior to the layoffs US U.S. government nt tax dollars support these loans in effect subsidizing foreign mines After the foreign countries were able to operate their own mines efficiently found their own mines were antiquated and not able to compete The federal government would not help subsidize domestic copper companies It was easier for them to lay layoff off copper workers than have one of the big banks go bankrupt Now they are in a process of trying to play up catch-up at the expense of the employees James observed According to James the process of closure started some between time time between 1977 and 1979 had borrowed all the money it could borrow and was on the verge of bankruptcy when bought their properties Standard Oil of Ohio owns 51 percent of and British Limited owned by the British Government maintains maintain 49 percent Britain doesn't have many natural resources and this kind of purchase was a property boon for them It is said that they are now trying to buy the other 51 percent of James said he knew it was coming About two weeks prior to the shutdown he talked to about it and informed the union that a shutdown was imminent L |