Lost New England #4: Dupont/Mi-Lor
Dupont / Mi-Lor (1901–1995)
We continue our paper and plastic series with another major New England business. Dupont was once a household name in practically every American household, automotive shop, and office building in the 50s through the 80s, but little does anyone know that the plastics arm of Dupont known as the Doyle Works was founded right here in Leominster. The Viscoloid company was the first plastics company in the United States if not the world, and started as the Sterling Comb Company in 1901 under business investors and engineers Alexander Paton, Ludwig Stross and Bernard W. Doyle.
The plant was the first of its kind to develop pyroxylin (celluloid) plastic hair combs, toilet articles, and a number of different products. Documents show that Viscoloid made the first plastic toys in the world in 1914 known as pyroxylin toys.
In 1925 it was bought by Dupont who decided to jump into the plastics business. This company would go onto to be officially called the Dupont Viscoloid Company headquartered on 511 Lancaster Street, and owned by the original founder who took over Dupont Bernard Doyle who’s family ran the factory for almost 100 years. By the 1930s the campus was so large that it spanned 106 buildings, and was the third largest factory in Leominster employing close to 700 workers at its peak. To put that into modern perspective, one American retail supermarket today on average employs 72 full-time equivalent employees. This was a huge industry.
Positions at the company included resins foremen, shift and production supervisors, senior and chief supervisors, industrial engineers, electricians, industrial relations specialists, chemists, lab technicians etc.
On May 1st, 1930 upon the five year anniversary of Dupont’s acquisition, Dupont awarded 601 employees who had completed five years of continuous service with “five-year service” pins and increased bonuses. Dupont awarded additional 10 year and 15 year service pins to their oldest employees who had been with them before the merger. Ten-year service pins went to Ina McDonald, Agnes Neville, Asa Stowell, R.B. Smith, and C.A. McCarey. Fifteen-year service pins went to H.J Jennings, W.F. Leach, Henry Rowe, and O.P. Marshall.
Productivity increased and along with it wages and benefits, as evidenced in newspaper headlines reading of Dupont’s employee satisfaction even what would have been at the height of the Depression.
“Salaried employees of the Doyle Works of the Dupont Viscoloid Co., anticipate a 10 percent increase in pay as a result of the action of the executive committee. The increase voted yesterday will go into effect June 1st. Several hundred employees at the Doyle Works will benefit. Only recently it was announced at the Doyle Works that all wage employees, with one or more years of service, would be given a two weeks vacation with pay this year.” — Fitchburg Sentinel (May 15th, 1936)
During WWII, the Dupont Leominster factory hired an additional 25 men and 40 women for the production of Lucite used on B-29s. The company also started their own Leominster baseball and softball teams for troops returning home called the “Duponts” that would frequently go up against General Electric with meets at the British-American Club of Fitchburg.
In 1977 the original owner from Dupont decided to sell the factory to another family owned company. Local newspapers show it was purchased by Mi-Lor who only laid off 10% of the 175 workers during that year. They continued the same production of pyroxylin products for another 13 years successfully. They were famous for the Mi-Lor combs, toothbrushes, and dental floss we all remember from the 70s and sold across the country. Mi-Lor also kept the Dupont logo, and in the early 1980s expanded again reaching their peak employment during that time of 250 union workers.
However, outside foreign competition would not be a kind force to the former Dupont factory, as it was reported in various newspapers that Leominster started raising their water and sewer rates on businesses to make up for lower business tax revenue. The first sign of things to come came in the year 1990. The Fitchburg Sentinel reported on March 12, 1990 that Mi-lor laid off close to 100 workers over the period of a year as they made cutbacks due to lower production orders from the surrounding community, and sold off seven toothbrush making machines to a competing company Pro Corp in Florence after that company refused to headquarter in Leominster. On top of that wages were cut and hours changed causing many workers to quit, and in response the IEU (International Union Of Electrical, Salaried Machines and Furniture Makers) along with the National Labor Relations Board sued Mi-Lor in Massachusetts district court.
Worker Emil Lapointe is rewarded $5,680 in backpay reported by IUE-CWA Local 253 on June 1993.
“Mi-Lor Corporation, a brush manufacturing company, decided to reduce its workforce due to a lack of production or orders. That decision would have been alight if the company had only followed the contract layoff procedures. But it didn’t. The arbitrator found that the company had deceived Lapointe into thinking he would be laid off, and he ordered his reinstatement with full back pay and full benefits.” — IUE People (May-June 1993 Issue)
Statement reported on pg. 18 of 4/19/90 issue of Fitchburg Sentinel;
“It’s happened too often in the state of Massachusetts. It’s got to stop somewhere. We’re just looking to keep a company in Leominster that is already in Leominster. We don’t need anymore shopping malls. We don’t need anymore condominiums. We don’t need $5 to $6 per hour jobs. The city should try to attract businesses instead of raising their water and sewer rates.” — Raymond Johnson (IEU Local Ch. 253 President 4/19/90 statement)
17 year worker on pg. 8 of 3/12/90 issue of Fitchburg Sentinel;
“They lied to us, they deceived us, they betrayed us.” — Joseph Mazzarella (17 year Mi-Lor worker)
Mi-Lor Charged In Labor Dispute
Local 253 Wins $5,680 Backpay for Wrongful Layoff at Mi-Lor Corp
Their trial began on June 13th of 1990 and the NLRB ruled in the favor of the workers union and charged them with a labor dispute. In June of 1993 worker Emil Lapointe was awarded $5,680 of union back pay after it was found he was misled by the city into voluntarily resigning after he was convinced he would be laid off. Also on the understanding he would be brought back to the company at full pay after two weeks which never happened. Mi-Lor wouldn’t last much longer after this, when finally Mi-Lor President Jack Ernst sent a letter in the mail to 135 union workers that June 6th, 1995 would be their last day of work.
Over the course of five years the company lost it’s final 204 workers in the community, marking the end to the oldest plastics company in the world and the last of the major “powerhouse” plastic plants in Leominster.
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