January
Some Thoughts
On A New Year • I recall thal it was the Roman poet Virgil
who said "The best days are the first to flee." And Goethe, the
German poet-author, looked at time as a fabric swiftly-woven.
"Thus at Time's hurrying Loom," he wrote.
Henri Bergson, the French philosopher, understood time as not
so much measurements on clocks and calendars, but in terms of
people's experiences and accomplishments. To him, time was a
ball of yam, the line winding onto it as the past grows bigger, and
more and more of the present becomes past.
Along a country road in the N. C. mountains the other day, I
noticed this on a sign in front of a church: TIME IS BUT THE
FRINGE OF ETERNITY. Have a good year. • The Loomchanger
Since 45 B.C.
• The ancient Romans
marked March 1 as beginning of
the year until 45 B.C., when
Julius Caesar declared Jan. 1
as New Year’s Day. The month
of January is named for the
Roman god Janus who has 2
heads—1 to look forward and
the other to gaze backward.
Other people, long ago and to
day, had and have different
dates for New Year’s.
Jacqueline Wyatt is into her
sophomore year at Western
Kentucky University, Bowling
Green. Attending WKU on a
Firestone Scholarship, she is
majoring in computer science.
At the end of her first year
in school, Jackie was elected
vice chairperson of the Associ
ation of Computing Machinery.
’79 Scholarship program
March 1 is deadline for applications in the Fire
stone company’s College Scholarship program. Due
in the Akron scholarship office on that date are com
pleted applications, test scores and all other re
quired material.
Among requirements are the SAT scores. SAT
tests were administered Nov. 4 and Dec. 2; and the
last one in the 1978-79 program is Jan. 27.
High school seniors who are sons/daughters of
employees and retirees are eligible to apply for the
scholarships, if they are in the upper half of their
class scholastically, and a brother or sister has not
been awarded a Firestone scholarship.
Winners are usually announced by early April.
G. F. Grant of Boston invented the golf tee and patented Stock purchase
it in 1899. Otto Zachow and William Besserdich of Clmton- ^
ville, Wis., invented 4-wheel brakes for motorcars in 1908.
They were great ideas that changed things and made his
tory.
Your ideas turned in to the Company Suggestion System
can work a big difference . .. make things better. Suggestion
boxes are near your workplace. Change things for the better
and get paid for your ideas, too.
Even though the world doesn’t
observe the beginning of the
calendar year on the same day,
most people do look at it as a
holiday to signify a new be
ginning and a fresh way to start
anew.
The British used to clean their
chimneys on New Year’s Day,
believing it to bring good luck
to their households. The old
saying “cleaning the slate”
comes from that tradition and
is associated with making reso
lutions for the new year.
People doing . . .
• For the past 21 years Jack
Faile, bobbin changer in TC
Twisting, has taken vacation
time and devoted it to work
ing with the Salvation Army
empty-stocking program in the
Christmas season. Jack has
worked at Firestone, Gastonia,
34 years. A ‘doing’ member of
the Salvation Army Citadel, he
is director of the SA Christ
mas Aid program, is a Sunday
School teacher and does other
volunteer service.
During the Christmas season,
he helped ring the bells at a
contribution station in one of
the shopping centers. He and
his wife Mary helped in the
food/gifts distribution.
• Ronnie Parks, Shop
mechanic, helped raise money
You can buy Firestone stock
in the Stock Purchase/Savings
plan anytime, but payroll de
duction changes in the plan can
be made only twice a year.
That’s January 1 and July 1.
But forms requesting the change
must be submitted to your plant
personnel department at least 1
month in advance of these dates.
January, 1979 Page 4
for the Gaston Empty Stocking
Fund by participating in an
archery tournament in Bessemer
City. Each $3 per-person entry
fee was contributed to the fund.
Flying high
• • Late in 1978 Gastonia
Firestone Textiles began flying
a new Stars and Stripes and
North Carolina Flag atop the
plant tower. The retired banners
had been in use since 1973.
Robert G. Spencer, plant buy
er, produced some cost figures,
showing the price of flags is go
ing up just like most everything
else. The 1973 cost of the U. S.
Flag, size 8' x 15'2", was $53.70.
The new one in late 1978: $80.85.
Five years ago the North Caro
lina Flag, size 4' x 6', cost
$23.80. The latest one was
$30.94.
ACM is a national club for the
Worldwide organization with
members involved with or as
sociated with computing ma
chinery and equipment.
Jackie is the daughter of Mr.
and Mrs. Travis C. Wyatt. He
is a unit operator in fabric
Treating at Bowling Green Fire
stone Textiles.
SS rate now 6.13%
Social security (FICA) takeout from your pay-
chpck is higher in 1979. The rate is 6.13 percent
(was 6.05 last year.) Also, the wage base (maxi
mum amount of earnings on which social se
curity taxes are paid) rose from $17,700 last year
to $22,900 for this year.
These increases come from legislation in 1977
to insure financial stability of the social security
program into the next century.
The increased deductions pay for protection
for wage earners and their families, for retire
ment, disability and survivors benefits, medicare
hospital insurance.
Increased deductions also pay for “inflation
insurance.” The law provides for automatic in
creases in social security benefits, attempting
to keep pace with rises in cost of living.
PEOPLE EARNING less than $17,700 a year
won’t notice as much increase in deductions as
those earning higher incomes. Example: If your
earnings are $10,000 a year, you pay $8 more in
to social security in ’79 than you did last year—
or about 15 cents more a week. If your pay is
$17,700 this year, you pay $15 more into social
security, or about 29 cents a week.
But on earnings of $22,900 or more the SS
tax in 1979 goes to $333, or $6.40 a week. This
bigger increase reflects the higher taxable wage
base this year.
But workers in higher income brackets can
count on higher benefits when they are eligible
for social security. Monthly checks wiU be higher
because amounts are based on amount of earn
ings on which SS taxes are paid.
Employers also are paying more into social
security this year, since they match dollar-for-
dollar the SS taxes paid by employees.
The 1977 law also provides for other in
creases in the tax rate and wage base for up
coming years. This is to keep social security
financially “able.”
Employers
On
and
Earnings
In the
Employees
Up To:
Year:
Pay:
1980
8.13 percent
25,900
1981
6.65
$29,700
1982
6.70
*
1983
6.70
*
1984
6.70
*
1985
7.05
•
1988
7.15
•
1987
7.15
*
1988
7.15
•
1989
7.15
•
1990
7.65
•
•Wage base will increase according to av
erage wage-level increases
• This table shows tax rale for 1980-1990 and
wage base for 1980 and 1981. Beginning with
1982, earnings base will rise automatically ac
cording to increases in average wage levels.
Firestone Textiles Company
P. O. Box 1278 Gastonia, N. C.
January, 1979
28052
BULK
RATE
U. S. POSTAGE PAID
at Gastonia, N. C
PERMIT NUMBER 29
BATTIS B. PASSMORE
RT. 1* BOX 145-A-87
GA3T0niA, N. C. 28052