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Vol. 79/No. 31 September 7, 2015
—ON THE PICKET LINE—
Maggie Trowe, Editor
Militant/Hank Scheer
Expanded picket line Aug. 5 backs strike of maintenance workers at John
Muir Medical Center in Walnut Creek, Calif., demanding first contract
after winning union representation last year.
Help make this column a voice of workers’ resistance!
This column is dedicated to spreading the truth about the labor
resistance unfolding today, to give voice to those engaged in battle and
help build solidarity. National steel and auto contracts are approaching
expiration and the East Coast Verizon agreement has expired. I invite
workers involved in fights against concessions to contact me at 306 W.
37th St., 13th Floor, New York, NY 10018; or (212) 244-4899; or
themilitant@xxxxxxx . We’ll work together to ensure your story is told.
— Maggie Trowe
Calif. hospital maintenance workers strike for
first contract
WALNUT CREEK, Calif. — Some 100 unionists and family members picketed
John Muir Medical Center here Aug. 5 in support of 18 maintenance
workers who have been on strike since May 18.
The workers voted to join Stationary Engineers Local 39 in June 2014,
becoming the first employees at the Walnut Creek hospital to unionize.
John Muir settled the engineers’ contract at the nearby Concord facility
last December, but refuses to agree to the same pay and benefits for the
newly unionized workers here.
Unionists, including other hospital workers, hotel workers and
steelworkers, came from across the Bay Area to join the rally. Lining
busy Ygnacio Valley Road during evening rush hour, the pickets received
honks and thumbs up from workers driving by.
Kyle Trombetta, one of the strikers with 13 years at the hospital, told
the Militant that management is concerned that if their fight is
successful the nurses might get inspired and organize next. “This is not
just about us. We’re unionizing this place for the future.”
— Hank Scheer, member IUOE Stationary Engineers Local 39 in Martinez,
California
New Zealand retail workers walk out for higher wages
AUCKLAND, New Zealand — Some 30 workers and supporters rallied for two
hours outside the Manukau branch of The Warehouse retail chain here Aug.
6. About 15 workers walked off the job, leaving managers to staff the
store. They were joined by employees from other shifts and other unionists.
The workers were rejecting a 30-cent wage increase offered by the
company in contract negotiations, FIRST Union organizer Dennis Maga said
in a press release. The tiny increase would mean a majority of staff
would remain at little above the minimum wage, he said.
Workers on the picket told the Militant that they were also concerned
about understaffing, pressure to speed up and abuse by managers.
— Mike Tucker
Alberta concrete truck drivers end lockout, keep seniority
CALGARY, Alberta — Teamsters locked out by Burnco Rock Products Ltd. for
three days voted 70-10 Aug. 13 to return to work after pushing back the
company’s attack on seniority. The 96 concrete mixer truck drivers at
five plants in Alberta, members of Teamsters Local 362, set up picket
lines Aug. 10, days before a scheduled vote on a contract proposal from
Burnco. The company produces aggregates, paving asphalt and ready-mix
concrete.
The drivers voted 78-4 to authorize a strike July 30, shop steward Doug
Dodd told the Militant on the picket line at the Shepard Place plant
here Aug. 10. Workers carried signs that read, “On legal strike against
lock-out.”
“To be perfectly blunt, they’re trying to break the union,” Dodd told
CBC News Aug. 10. “We got guys that have worked here over 30 years and
they want to be able to sit them at home, bring in whoever they want,
whenever they want.”
“They’ve been trying to undermine seniority for a couple of years,” said
Jim Carlson, a Burnco driver for 27 years.
Pickets described a steady campaign of company pressure over the past
period, from increased disciplinary write-ups to the placement of
cameras in the drivers’ room and the padlocking of a washroom.
Asked on the picket line if there was tension between the younger
drivers and those with more seniority, Dodd pointed to some picketers,
“I’m sure that was the company’s intention. But we’ve got some younger
guys over there and they’re solid.”
It was the company that requested a meeting and brought a new proposal,
Dodd told the Militant. After seeing the strength of picket line
participation, “they came to the realization that it wasn’t going to be
as easy as they thought, and their proposal was going to go down in
flames,” he said, referring to the attack on seniority. The two-year
contract has a 1 percent raise the first year and none in the second.
Saturday overtime now will be paid only after 40 hours work.
— Katy LeRougetel
Related articles:
Steelworkers fight bosses’ demands for concessions
Solidarity actions set when contracts expire Sept. 1
Mineworkers protest Patriot’s attack on union
Nonunion construction deaths on rise in New York
Don Rasmussen: Stalwart of miners’ fight for safety
How coal miners’ struggles transformed union
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