This letter is in reference to a letter which appeared in The Marietta Times on Nov. 23. It appeared on two different occasions.

The headline states, “No politician could have saved Ormet.” He also stated, “That no one should have saved Ormet.” In his letter, I am questioning both his knowledge and experience in the aluminum manufacturing business. He used words such as, “doomed,” the strikes against an outdated smelter. I wonder how much carbon has he ever set?

In a business such as aluminum you will always have ups and downs of the market price. Ormet is no stranger to this uncertainty and still was a survivor.

They managed to survive more than 50 years for several reasons. Here are two main reasons why they survived, the top level management team working with the entire salary and union workforce.

Ormet was fortunate to have a truly committed and dedicated workforce, the USW Local 5724. Without all of these employees working together, Ormet would have not made it through all of those tough times.

We did not ask for much, just a cut in the power in order to maintain the two potlines until the costs of metal were once again favorable. So, before you say the more than 1,000 jobs at Ormet are not worth saving, feel free to contact me. I will answer any questions that you have regarding this issue. If I can’t answer them, I can point you to the ones who can.

Ray Witten

Marietta, Ohio