Striking paperworkers maintain firm stance
1987Greg Guckenburg 1987-10Read it in the scan (PDF at ETOL), page 5 →
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A TRAIL OF BROKEN HELP 'SOLIDARITY NOW! ROLLING JAY, Maine-On Sept. 7—Labor Dayover 5000 workers marched in Waterville, Maine, to support paperworkers on strike here against the International Paper Co.
One month earlier, on Aug. 1, over 8000 workers mobilized in Jay, Maine, to support the fighting paperworkers-the largest labor demonstration in Maine's history.
The 1200 members of Local 14, United Paperworkers International Union, and Local 246, International Brotherhood of Firemen and Oilers, have been on strike against union-busting demands for over four months.
The company has been herding scabs through picket lines that have been limited by court injunctions. It has also spent millions of dollars on TV and radio ads and sent letters to the homes of workers throughout the state.
The Sept. 7 Labor Day demonstration was spirited and angry. A sea of blue union shirts marched through the streets of Waterville chanting, "Union In, Scabs Out!" One of the more popular T-shirts sold at the rally was "I'll work Christmas when pigs fly," a reference to the company demand to cancel the traditional Christmas holiday shutdown of the plant.
Other company takebacks include:
• An end to double-time pay for Sunday work. Because paper mills run 24 hours a day, seven days a week, the company says Sunday is just a regular workday. The union says that as long as they are forced to work on Sundays they will continue to be paid double-time.
• The company is demanding more flexible work rules. They want to be allowed to cross-trade (shift workers around within the plant). The union is justifiably opposed on the grounds of health and safety.
• International Paper has hired scabs and insists that they will stay regardless of the outcome of negotiations. The union says it will not go back until all their members return to work. When a paperworkers' strike in Rumford, Maine, was defeated last year, 350 scabs were left in the plant to displace union members who went on strike.
Union builds solidarity
The Aug. 1 and Sept. 7 marches and rallies fit in with the strategy that the local union leadership has pursued throughout the strike. From the beginning, Local 14 PROMISES and Local 246 have organized a public solidarity campaign to overcome the financial advantage of International Paper and, most importantly, to involve other union locals in strike-support activities.
The striking union locals hold weekly Wednesday night rallies with attendance averaging over 1000. Four months into this bitter fight, the union members' fighting spirit has not diminished.
The Wednesday rallies usually begin and end with labor songs by the IP Picketers, a group made up of striking workers. Speakers and representatives from other unions show up, express their support, and receive hearty applause for the encouragement they give to the paperworkers.
Officers and members from the striking locals have been criss-crossing the country throughout the strike. They keep other locals aware of the issues in the fight and are building solidarity with other paperworker locals on strike or lockout around the country. These include paperworkers in Depere, Wis.; Mobile, Ala.; and Lock Haven, Pa.; and other International KEEP AMERICA Paper Co. plants that have contract negotiations coming up.
Because the union locals at these plants have agreed to coordinate their bargaining, the IP strikers recognize the importance of keeping in touch. One of the central goals of the strikers is to establish an industry-wide contract—a conquest that the union gave up during the 1960s.
They correctly recognize how much stronger they would be if their struggle against International Paper and other paper mills was industry-wide instead of one plant at a time. The paper mills are the largest industry in Maine, and the 15,000 paperworkers are the largest private-sector union membership in the state.
The IP paperworkers are waging a courageous and militant struggle against company takebacks. In spite of a companyinspired publicity campaign to demoralize them, and the best strike-breaking efforts of the police and courts, the members of Locals 14 and 246 are adding weapons and lessons to labor's arsenal. They deserve and need the support of all working people.
Joe Ryan/Socialist Action committees which took rooms next to Rail