LEONARD GRAY / L’Observateur / July 15, 2000

LAPLACE – The Raymond Scroggs family held its collective breath as balloting ensued this week on the Kaiser strike arbitration agreement.

“Relieved!” said Joanne Scroggs on Friday morning. “The only word I cansay is relieved!” Little more than six months ago the scene was quite different. WithChristmas around the corner, bills piling up, no health insurance and little income, the Scroggs family, like most Kaiser families, were on hard times.

Christmas was blessed for them, though, as employees of the BASF plant in Baton Rouge “adopted” steelworker families and gave every child presents and clothes and the family a hot, home-cooked holiday meal.

But the effects of the strike will endure on this and every Kaiser family trying to recover economically from two years of being on strike.

“We had a very successful Christmas,” Raymond said. “Many of thesalaried people at Kaiser made donations, and we really appreciated it.”However, nothing replaces regular work. “It’s time for him to go back towork,” she said. “He’d be happier, and we’d all feel more secure.”Raymond added he hasn’t looked at the checkbook in the past year as he was depressed enough already.

“There’s a lot of catching up to do,” Raymond observed, with everything from minor home repairs to a new roof to over-extended credit cards, repayment of personal loans and replacing two banged-up cars.

His eldest son, Clint, was already working two jobs while pursuing a business degree at the University of New Orleans. Early this summer Clintjoined the Army Reserves to help with college costs. He graduates bootcamp on Aug. 3 at Ft. Benning, Ga.His daughter Amber, 14, and son Jeremy, 13, are facing tuition costs. Anextended payment plan has been worked out with St. Charles Catholic HighSchool, where Amber starts ninth grade this fall. “That’s a major concernright now,” her father said.

Joanne, an officer manager at LaPlace Medical Center, had her hours scaled back last spring. “Just when we thought things were bad, they got worse,”he said, adding Joanne has slowly regained some of her work time.

The family’s two vehicles, a 1989 Toyota Camry and a 1982 Chevrolet station wagon, have both been in accidents and are tottering on their last legs.

Relations with the family, due to Raymond’s enforced stay at home, have improved, making that a blessing in the face of adversity. Amberappreciates her father more, and they are completing a backyard playhouse. Son Jeremy is Raymond’s “right-hand man” around the house,and son Clint, homesick from Army training, writes home his deep appreciation for his parents’ love and discipline.

Raymond is also sympathetic to Kaiser’s salaried employees having to supervise the replacement workers. “They’ve been through hell, too,” hesaid.

But everything aside, it’s been hope that has kept Kaiser families going.

On Thursday night, hope was repaid.

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