A case history of one union local's attempted fightback

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Westinghouse IAM local conducts a model campaign to involve members in a fight SUNNYVALE, Calif.—In recent years, production workers here at the Westinghouse Marine Division have been forced to give large concessions to the company. The leadership of Local 565 of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM), which represents the approximately 800 production workers, decided that this downward spiral had to be halted.

Earlier this year, with contract negotiations about to open, the leadership saw it was necessary to take steps to draw more members into active participation in the union.

First, a picnic and rally was organized for members and their families. In order to encourage a sense of unity and solidarity, members of the four other local unions at Westinghouse that are represented in the national Coordinated Bargaining Committee (CBC) were also invited.

The picnic/rally drew over 200. The success was largely due to a second tactic employed to increase member activism. Each week the leadership of Local 565 composed a leaflet in order to inform members of significant developments in the contract negotiations and to provide an analysis of what it takes to win a decent contract.

The leaflets were distributed at plant gates. In general, the membership was impressed by this show of diligence.

The leaflets argued persistently that the workers and Westinghouse share no common interests: "This is what the company always wants: the lowest possible wage it can get away with. Think about it. The less we get in wages, the more it gets in profits."

One leaflet showed that the lump-sum "bonus," a recent substitute for wage increases, was used by the company in order to dupe the workers into accepting less. A little arithmetic was used to prove that the lumpsum "bonus" constitutes a gigantic rip-off over a given period of time when compared to a wage hike.

"Running over their leaders"

The same national CBC that negotiates the contract with Westinghouse also negotiates with General Electric, only slightly earlier. Thus the GE contract is generally viewed as a weathervane for the Westinghouse contract, although the latter usually ends up a little worse.

Local 565 distributed a leaflet to the membership that took critical aim at the contract that had just been negotiated with GE. The leaflet was soon to attain nationwide notoriety within the IAM as well as other CBC unions.

This leaflet came on the heels of a July 18, 1988, Business Week article describing the rising expression of rank-and-file discontent with the contracts negotiated by top officials.

"When their leaders agree to modest settlements rather than risk a strike, members lose patience," Business Week asserted. "Some unions are likely to test their muscle against management, even if it means rúnning over their own leaders in the process."

The Local 565 leaflet explained the problem this way: "The reason unions are weak and compelled to accept grossly inadequate contracts is mainly due to the central role played by the top officials themselves."

The leaflet focused on the role of International United Electrical Workers (TUE) President William Bywater, who headed the GE negotiations. "Instead of Bywater acting loyally in his membership's interests," it stated, "he acted as a go-between, giving firstplace to the owners' interests.

"It should be clear that a new course is needed with Westinghouse, as well as a new kind of leadership capable of developing the capacity of the members to fight back. Otherwise the union-company 'partnership' will inevitably lead to deeper cuts in our standard of living."

George Poulin, general vice president of the IAM and co-chair of the CBC, received a copy of this leaflet. His temperature must have risen considerably because he immediately A wage ments are Year No.* Sales inghouse The leadership of a against concessions.

IAM LOCAL 565 Labor Solidarity Committee curiosities of the whole bargaining process. The CBC purportedly negotiates a national contract, including such issues as wages and contract language. But the CBC does not insist in its agreement that the company be prohibited from altering national stipulations on the local level.

In other words, if the company concludes that a particular local is weak, it can launch an isolated attack and demand even more concessions from a small abandoned local— with the full knowledge and probably a "wink" from the "leadership" of the CBC.

"'We inust act as one!"

In response to the company's aggressive posture and the lack of direction from the top union "leaders," the five unions at the Marine Division took an unprecedented step to forge real unity in defense of their common interests.

The leaders of the five unions met to form a united front. A letter was drafted to the CBC pointing out the seriousness of these local attacks and urging that a united front be formed on the national level-the only level on which the unions were strong enough to stop the company.

"We must act as one!" the letter said. "No union should stand alone against a large multinational corporation. No contract should be signed that permits separate wage and/or benefit conditions. We know we can beat back the company assault if we are united. We will be sure to lose if we are divided."

This letter was signed by the local representatives of the five unions. Unfortunately, it fell on deaf ears.

Union tops "sell" contract In the final days of the talks, the Local 565 Negotiating Committee was under intense pressure from the union hierarchy to accept the company's shameful proposal.

The Grand Lodge Representative, who was sent in to monitor the local under the guise of "helping" it, rose to the occasion and performed his real assignment. He helped the Business Agent sell the company's contract proposal to the local.

Four of the five members of the Negotiating Committee concluded that under such adverse circumstances the contract was the best that could be secured. Only one Negotiating Committee member, Local 565 President Bill Leumer, refused to recommend the contract to the union membership.

Several days before the ratification meeting, the members received a 14-page summary of the new contract from the company, a twopage summary of local alterations from the Local 565 Negotiating Committee, and nothing from the CBC.

At the ratification meeting, the members heard two reports. One from the Business Agent (assisted by the Grand Lodge Representative) urged acceptance. The Local 565 president, on the other hand, gave a minority report that denounced the nostruggle strategy of the international union leadership.

Leumer pointed out that the union tops overestimate the strength of the company and underestimate the strength of the membership-even of locals left to fend for themselves by the international unions.

Despite the pressure from the company and the international union working together, the contract was adopted by a much closer margin than anywhere else in the country. Forty percent sided with President Leumer in voting down the proposal and 60 percent voted in favor.

In explaining the closeness of the vote, one fact stands out. The IAM Local 565 leadership was willing to do whatever was necessary to keep the membership involve. fully informed, and prepared for a fight. Every union leaflet produced at the time stated clearly: "We don't want to strike, but we will."

Unfortunately, these unionists were generally isolated from other Wesighouse units around the country. As the vosses' attacks increase, however, other union locals will find it necessary to follow the example of Local 565 in Sunnyyale.