Merrillville High School - Merrillvue Yearbook (Merrillville, IN)

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USX and its employees were not able to settle contract disagreements. The work stopage continued for six months. U-a. • p £T CL photos Zawada Families felt the economic pinch caused by the lockout at USX (formerly U.S. Steel). Som e families were hit harder than others by the work stopage. The Ochoa family was one of the many MHS families not pre- pared for the strike. “My dad was laid off before the strike, so we weren’t pre- pared for it,” said Susan Ochoa, senior. Medical, dental and optical benefits were terminated on July 30. Though the union pro- vided an emergency medical plan, it did not include dental and optical benefits. “The benefits are next to nothing. A friend of my dad’s needed X-rays, and he wasn’t covered at all,” commented Susan Pittman, senior. Although the USX employees offered to work under the for- mer contract, the corporation refused. In addition, this lockout caused many family members to get jobs. “I’ve accepted the responsi- bility of getting my own job to pay for my own expenses,” stated Dawn Porter, senior. “I’ve accepted the responsi- bility of getting my own job to pay for my own expenses,” stated Dawn Porter, senior. The nation’s longest-ever steel dispute, lasting 184 days, ended on Jan. 30. Union repre- sentatives counted 19,621 votes in favor of the new con- tract and 4,045 against it. As for the new four year con- tract, it has “too many ifs, ands or buts to be decided,” commented Terry Adler in an article by Curtis Vosti for the Hammond Times. by SHAWN LYNN CUNNINGHAM 1 he once popular USX company was once the center of Northwest Indiana’s production and employment. However, the work stopage has caused many families to suffer. Waiting outside the gates of Gary Works are many employees. Since the stopage many workers were left with- out jobs for months. 29 Steel Strike

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Encouraging the many picketers at the USX steel mill is Lovell Williams, an employee of the steel mill. Indiana ruled that it was a lockout in- stead of a strike. This rule allowed workers to receive unemployment compensation. ’ U.S.W.A. PLANT LOCKED OUT 1 L.U. 101f UNITED STEELWORKERS OP AMERICA L M • CIO • CIC r assing the countless hours during the lockout is Mike Adir, steelworker. Scenes like this were seen all around the gates of Gary Works. 28 Steel Strike “I’ve accepted the responsibility of getting my own job to pay for my own expenses.” — Dawn Porter

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Unknown Talent Thirty -one students participated in 26 acts, making the Revue almost two hours long. Talent show skits included bands, shirts and slide shows. Okay. So everyone knows how talented the football, bas- ketball and gymnastic teams are at MHS. But it’s also a fact that we have an award winning academic decathlon team. But, the real talent at MHS is hidden within a handful of stu- dents who chose Feb. 28 and 29 to let it show in the 1987 “Revue.” At 8 p.m. on a rainy, Satur- day night, the auditorium was packed with parents, faculty and students to support the cast of sophomores, juniors and seniors. “The turnout on both nights really helped the confidence of the whole cast,” commented Francine Harper, senior. Harp- er was also the student direc- tor. The “Revue” was a talent show of sorts, complete with song, dance, live bands, com- edy skits and slide shows. “I chose to do a slide show of the 60’s because of the recent swing in 60’s nostalgia. A ma- jority of the 1987 graduates were born in 1969; therefore, they are the last generation of the 60’s,” said Bill Wilkison, senior. Two acts in particular brought the audience to their feet. “Mitch Davidhizar and Jeff Coto were great with the rou- 30 Revue tine to ‘Hot for Teacher,’ and their outfits were so original!” stated Gina Canalas, sopho- more. “I liked the skits by Carl Ji- menez the best. His rap song and the show he put on were adorable,” commented Kim Tipton, junior. In all, 31 students performed 26 acts. Some of the student groups were entered more than once. The show lasted a little more than two hours. Davidhizar, junior, conclud- ed, “I really enjoyed my part in the ‘Revue.’ I would gladly do it again next year!” by JULIE METCALF W hile in rehersai, Ben Albright, junior, adjusts the amplifier at the “Revue practice. Students who performed at the Revue put in many hours of prac- tice. A s one of the 26 acts, Patty Zolondz, junior, performed a solo. The “Revue had 31 participants.