Union battles defy concessions tide

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Food-packing workers in Watsonville, Calif., have been on strike for three months against a proposed cut in wages and benefits. The S.F. Labor Council is sponsoring a support rally Dec. 7 at Union Square.

CoPP UNON ON 101-1 * STRIK ERS SHERIFF ON STRIKE TEAMSTER UNION LOCAL SI ocialist Action/ Joe Ryar The fighting spirit of unionists acros the country against the employers' conces sions demands has been demonstrated force fully in a series of current strikes.

In Los Angeles, 12,000 Teamsters and 10,000 meatcutters are on strike against the multi-billion dollar food industry, which is demanding a two-tier wage system, a wage freeze, a reduced guaranteed work week, and job cross-crafting.

In Boston, 3400 hotel and restaurant workers are getting ready to strike on Dec. 1 against the hotel owners' outrageous takeback demands. The union is actively reaching out to other unions and to com -munity groups to help solidify a broad base of support for the strike.

Meanwhile, in Minnesota, the Local P-9 packing-house workers are in the fourth month of their strike against the Hormel Packing Co.'s union-busting attempt. The striking workers have continued to stand strong, largely due to the outpouring of support from the labor movement organized by the Strike Support Committee.

In all three cases, the concessions demanded by the employers represent a seri -ous attack on the workers and a death-threat to the unions themselves.

Concessions don't save jobs Chrysler's three takeaways between Nov -ember 1979 and January 1981 began the current concession epidemic. Backed by the federal government, Chrysler won support for concessions by claiming the only alternative was bankruptcy.

At first, many workers believed that concessions were a necessary, temporary evil required to get "their" companies (continued on page 4)

Almost 900 delegates from 36 Black and non-racial unions met in Durban, South Africa, last month to form a new independent trade-union federation.

The new Congress of South African Trade Unions will represent over 500,000 workers in auto, chemical, steel, food processing, and other strategic industries. Almost half are in the National Union of Mineworkers.

It will take about three months, according to Congress spokespersons, to restructure the component unions into some 13 amalgamated industrial unions.

At a Nov. 29 rally at the founding convention National Union of Mine -workers General Secretary Cyril Rama -phosa said that the new federation can serve as a "political rallying point" for Black workers in their struggle against the apartheid government.

For more coverage of events in South Africa, see pages 13 and 15.

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BACK Socialise Action/ Joe Ryan AFICIO LOT ILWU SO.AFRICAN UNIONS Unions form federation in S. Africa