вЂњWe were the last maintenance crew to close down the plant before demolition,вЂќ said David Zatorski, who was an employee for about 39 years. According to The Berkshire Eagle, within five years, the number of GE jobs in Pittsfield were cut nearly in half, down to 3,600 employees.Д¬redit Courtesy of the Berkshire County Historical Society, Pittsfield, Massachusetts In 1986, GE announced it was shutting down most of the power transformer division. The city not only grappled with PCB contamination, but also job loss. As they begin cleaning up the rest of the river, theyвЂ™re at odds about where to dispose of the PCBs. GE and the EPA have cleaned up the first two miles of the Housatonic River south of the plant. Other workers have also reported the oil being dumped into storm drains that led to the river, or dumped right onto the ground.Д«ertelli is now the vice president of the environmental group Housatonic River Initiative. вЂњThey were squeegeeing the liquid down to the manhole. I could see a manhole cover open,вЂќ he said. Later, Bertelli got cancer, but he isnвЂ™t sure if the cause was PCBs, smoking or something else.Д«ertelli remembers seeing PCB oil being dumped at the plant. You didnвЂ™t have to worry about losing your job, like they do today.вЂќ Despite the cancer, which is gone now, she had good things to say about GE. Shirley Cleveland also wonders if the PCBs had made her sick. You know, you couldnвЂ™t ask a doctor, especially in Pittsfield. вЂњWeвЂ™re thinking it might have been from that,вЂќ Charles Cleveland said about the PCBs. In 1998, Shirley Cleveland was diagnosed with bladder cancer. The federal agency classifies PCBs as a probable human carcinogen. The EPA now says PCBs can cause a вЂњmultitude of serious adverse health effectsвЂќ in the reproductive, endocrine, immune and nervous systems. вЂњSometimes when he walked in the door, you could smell it,вЂќ Shirley Cleveland said. I bring them home, and wash them,вЂќ Charles ClevelandВ said. вЂњYou know, you get your elbows in it, and itвЂ™s on your shirt. When electricity moved through the transformer, the PCB oil acted as an insulator and prevented the transformer from вЂњarcing,вЂќ or sparking.Д®mployees, at times, breathed in PCB fumes, or got the PCB oil on their clothes or skin. The transformers were placed in the tanks, which were filled with oil containing PCBs, a chemical compound that isnвЂ™t flammable. But coming home, heвЂ™d be coming home in the middle of the night.вЂќ вЂњMost of the time, Dad worked the second shift. вЂњI remember Dad walking with a couple of guys from the neighborhood,вЂќ Bertelli said. His father, Angelo Bertelli, вЂњcommutedвЂќ to GE over this little bridge. Now 80 years old, he grew up near a footbridge over the east branch of the Housatonic River, just down the hill from the plant. The GE factory was like a city unto itself, with its own credit union, medical centers and fire department, encompassing about 250 acres.ДЄl Bertelli also worked at GE. It had a social club and an appliance store with discounts for workers, and it was a key contributor to charitable organizations.

вЂњThe GEвЂќ played a major role in the community. вЂњIt was вЂThe GE.вЂ™ ThatвЂ™s what everybody called it. вЂњIt was part of everybodyвЂ™s life,вЂќ Gibbs said.

They could buy a house, a car, and even get a pension - the kind of job thatвЂ™s almost unheard of today. вЂњMy mother, my grandfather did, my grandmother did, my aunt,вЂќ Gibbs said - and he also had a job at GE for a short time. Just ask Dave Gibbs, who grew up half a block from the plant. The company provided workers - even those without experience - a way up. That doesnвЂ™t affect current retirees.ДЇor decades, multiple generations in many Pittsfield families worked at GE. signed an agreement to clean up PCBs the company had dumped in Pittsfield, Massachusetts.Д«ack then, the community was not only grappling with widespread contamination, but also the aftermath of losing thousands of GE jobs in the city.ДЄs a sign of GEвЂ™s continued struggles, just this week it announced some 20,000 salaried employees will stop accruing pension benefits. This month marks 20 years since General Electric Co.

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