International Commercial Workers

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LOCHI confrontation with the company, Zack said, these measures could not be ratified.

UFCW President Wynn went further. Responding to P-9's request for support to steps making its strike more effective, Wynn wrote the following to Guyette: "Local P-9's courageous members stand at the edge of the cliff you led them to, and they will need courageous leadership that will lead them away from a disastrous mass suicide with their dignity preserved."

But in Ottumwa, Iowa, the workers didn't wait for Wynn's approval. They refused to cross the picket line set up by the P-9 members the day after the National Guard By the time the second caravan rolled around, we were given office quarters in the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 110 in Minneapolis.

To prepare this caravan, we contacted approximately 204 locals in the Twin Cities area. We organized collections of money and food for the P-9 strikers in the factories. We asked that money be sent directly to Austin. We also organized speakers to go from Austin to Twin Cities locals.

Our second caravan contained 6000 Ibs. of chicken; 1500 Ibs. of ground beef, 1500 half-gallons of milk; 1500 pound-and-a-half loaves of bread; 1500 dozen eggs; and three tons of potatoes.

But these caravans were also huge media events. They received tremendous TV coverage. They gave the lie to the claim of both the UFCW international leadership and the company that there was no support for the P-9 strike-that it was isolated, that it was a pariah of the labor movement.

These caravans showed the visible support of the entire Twin Cities labor movement for the strike.

Fire under labor movement The international leadership, headed by UFCW President William Wynn, has been constantly attacking this local. UFCW officials have written letters nationwide telling unions not to support Local P-9 and not to send them money. They went so far as to imply there was a misappropriation of funds.

They have also written the strikers telling them not to send roving pickets to other Hormel plants. The record of this international leadership has been shameful.

But because of the work we did, Region 13 brought at least two caravans from the Twin Cities area to the P-9 strikers.

I would say that through our work over 200 tons of food was brought into Austin; 50 tons from the support committee, the rest of it from other locals and from Region 13 itself.

In addition to providing food, moraleboosting, and publicity, the committee played a big role in gaining support for the P-9 strikers from the delegates at the Minnesota AFL-CIO State Convention in

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HORMEL P-9 STRIKE anwin! right to vote informally after the deadline.

But to Wynn's and the company's chagrin, both votes produced roughly the same 3-2 vote against the contract. Local P-9 actually invited four clergy people to observe the entire election. The conclusion of the observers? There had been no was sent into Austin. On Jan. 22, the coercion whatsoever in the strike vote, they entire first shift walked off the job in said. The whole campaign against the local Ottumwa for over four hours, showing the was thus exposed as slander. depth of their support for the P-9 strikers. The anger of the local members against Immediately, the company filed a $330,000 the international union had understandably suit against the Ottumwa local for the work been building up over the months. At a stoppage. press conference in mid-December, it burst out into the open, when about 150 strikers Mail ballot vs. direct ballot confronted the representative of the UFCW Another attempt by Wynn and the international on the mail ballot and on a UFCW top leadership to force the strike to proposed contract settlement. Marilyn Owatonna People's Press end occurred in late December, when the Jensen, a member of P-9, expressed the international decided unilaterally to conduct sentiment of many when she loudly accused the international of leaving the Austin a mail ballot on whether or not to suspend the strike. They stated they didn't trust P-9 union members "cold, hungry, and under to carry out the vote. They claimed that pressure." union members were being intimidated at What it will take to win the membership meetings into voting to In the 1934 Teamsters strike [see page 4 stay out. of this supplement], the workers had to V VUUUUU The P-9 leadership, though, refused to confront the bosses, their courts, their submit to these strong-arm pressures. police-and even their National Guard.

Guyette explained that the local would hold To win their strike they organized roving ¡aid, its own vote in the only democratic manner pickets called "flying squads." They set up GROWIG possible-at the union hall. This is the auxiliary committees to aid the strikers. her. only way a collective discussion and They organized a democrațic central it to informed decision could be made. He said command of the strike known as the ive, he would only abide by the vote at the "Committee of 100." ette: membership meeting. But they also did something else. They id at understood that it was necessary to rely on and In early January both votes were held. their own strength to confront all those that Wynn had predicted that the majority of the who sought to keep them in bondage to the nass workers would vote to accept the bosses. Hence, they placed no confidence in company's proposals. In fact, the the role of the "mediators" or "impartial idn't international tried all sorts of machinations arbiters." They placed no confidence in the :d to to affect the vote. Some people got two Democratic or Farmer-Labor Party Mark Harris P-9 ballots. Others who didn't think they could politicians, who inevitably defended the uard get their ballot in on time were given the interests of the bosses.

The Teamsters, in the course of their fight, came to realize that as far as the employing class is concerned all strikes are lled late September. i the While about 300 strikers lined up at the illegal. They understood that it was ical convention entrances to lobby the delegates necessary to defy the injunctions limiting Banner on wall outside P-9 headquarters in Austin, in for support, the committee members who the right to picket. And they understood were delegates helped organize people inside that it was necessary to defend their The P-9 workers have shown their strike. The entire labor movement has a cted the convention to get a motion passed democratic right to have an effective picket determination to fight to the finish and great responsibility to see to it that the 'win explicitly supporting the P-9 strike. The line with all the necessary power of win. Their local leadership has also courageous P-9 fighters are not defeated. A s of convention delegates even gave the P-9 persuasion. mobilized the membership to respond to P-9 victory would start to turn back the the delegation a standing ovation as the official The only way today to make the Hormel the company's takeback attacks. concessions tide. This strike is therefore the sent delegates from the local entered the hall. company retreat in its violent attack against To win the strike, the scabs must be kept strike of all working people in this zed Our third and latest food caravan was on the workers-an attack that has seen the out and the plant shut down. If the union country—union and non-union alike. ities Dec. 15. It was probably our most workers lose their homes and cars—is to succeeds in Austin, it will then be easier to An emergency response is needed to successful one. After we unloaded the follow the example of the fighting union call on their sisters and brothers in the come to the aid of the P-9 strikers. Our 1bs. approximately 20 tons of food, there was a movement of the 1930s. other seven Hormel plants to join the solidarity can make the difference.

Christmas party for an estimated 1150 half children ages 12 and under. We brought tree candy canes for all the kids. Other union Socialist Action members around the locals donated toys. The families of the country are active in the antiwar move -edia strikers, too, had made toys or repaired old ment and in the unions. We are fighters TV ones in their Santa's Workshops. We were against racism and for equal rights for