"Mass picket line is key to ironworkers' strike victory"

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GRAND RAPIDS, Mich.—A two-week strike at the Haven-Busch Co. ended in victory on June 16, as ironworkers here voted by an overwhelming majority to for major concessions in benefits. We voted to accept a wage increase of 3 percent, 3 percent, and 4 percent over three years plus an additional lump-sum payment that will vary according to seniority.

I need to give you a little history to understand why we went on strike. At contract time three years ago, we gave up a lot. The company said business was really bad. So the union, Ironworkers Local 688, APL-CIO, agreed to take around an 8-percent cut-which put us at the level of six years ago.

AUSTIN, Minn.—More than 1000 people rallied in Austin, Minn., on Saturday, June 28 in a show of support for the embattled packinghouse workers of Local P-9, who have been on strike against the George A. Hormel & Co. since Aug. 17, 1985.

A motorcycle brigade of "union riders" led the way as Local P-9 members and sup -porters marched through downtown. As the various contingents of unionists from more than 15 states marched, many bystanders gave the thumbs- up sign.

The march and rally culminated a week of activity at Solidarity City, where the union set up a tent city just outside Austin to dramatize their continuing strike against Hormel.

One thing was evident to everyone at Solidarity City-the spirit and resolve of the strikers remains firm.

The turnout at the Friday night event, and the march and rally on Saturday afternoon, were a defiant response to the ongoing effort by the courts, Hormel management, and the International leadership of the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) to muzzle these courageous union men and women.

On June 2, federal district court Judge Edward Devitt upheld the trusteeship imposed on Local P-9 by the UFCW. But Judge Devitt went beyond simply granting the UFCW's request to take over the local-he imposed sweeping restrictions on the First Amendment rights of the local.

Lynn Huston, vice-president of Local P-9, told Socialist Action that the judge "decided that not only was the trusteeship valid, but it is now a federal crime to picket, to boy -cott, to tell anybody that we're on strike." Huston explained that "the previous officers of P-9 can't act in any type of a leadership role."

The court upheld the appointment of Joseph Hansen, director of the UFCW's Region 13, as legal trustee of the local. The judge's ruling also slandered P-9 by charging that it has threatened, harassed, and intimi -Union Leaders Must Not Go To Jail!

5 PM-Program UAW Hall, 2129 Ford Parkway St. Paul, Minn.

Speakers:

BRAC Local 1310 Pete Kelly, Pres., UAW Local 160 OCAW and others The union understood at that time that we should take the cuts so the company could survive. The company supposedly would make up the cutbacks when business got better. Well, even the company will admit that business got real good.

At the end of May, the company proposed a long list of cutbacks in benefits, especially around insurance. We were ready to strike half-way through the reading of what they wanted to take away. On the second shift the last night of the contract, a lot of people did not even go in. Others left early.

Most people took their tools out of the plant. Most of the welding machines were "readjusted" so management would have no "trouble" using them during a strike. Other things were also "fine-tuned" to "help the company out."

The show to show our solidarity on the picketline. We had 80 to 100 people there at a time; people were coming and going. Bear in mind a lot of people live quite a way from the plant.

The picketline was very militant. At the main road to the plant, 50 of us would swarm on the cars of management trying to get in. Bounced them up and down, kicking tires. We made it hard for them.

Some of the guys set up a game of horseshoes across the main road in. Shoes were flying back and forth across the road.

The Teamster truck drivers refused to cross our line. One guy left his steel truck parked right in the middle of the road while he called for instructions what to do. Finally, he took the steel back to Pennsylvania.

My feeling when we went out was that the company wanted us to strike in order to break the union. To bring in scabs. But they miscalculated. The work we do not everyone can do. It would have taken a long time to get much going with "green people."

The union leadership made some mistakes. They did not prepare the workers by setting up a strike committee or a strike fund. But our spirited picketline helped to bring us victory.

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accept management's third "final offer." The strikers were able to defeat the company's demands

RALLY SUNDAY. JULY 13 INDAY, JULY

Jim Guyette, defendant Ray Rogers, defendant Cynthia Burke, Pres.,

Tony Mazzochi, former Health & Safety Dir.