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New Era strike for jobs and safety Chicago-Prior to 1997, New Era Cap Company had wanted to expand our facility in Derby, N.Y. When we voted in the Communications Workers of America instead of the company union, they backed down even though they had state grants to do the expansion. You think you won't ever lose your job if the company is expanding, putting in more workers. We were wrong. They opened a plant in Alabama, a right-to-work state-it's a non-union shop-and proceeded to harass the crap out of us. They brought new machines into one department and lowered our wages. It went to arbitration and the company paid $22,000 in back wages. Management told the members, "If you don't get rid of the union you're all going to lose your jobs." Then they told the first mechanic that they were going to move that machine down to Alabama. This is the first machine in a series of 22 operations. If they remove that, nothing else can happen. They wanted us to think we were going to lose our jobs, especially after just being told to get rid of the union. THREATS TO SHUT DOWN The supervisor got a worker to start a petition in February of 2000 to get rid of the union. A lot of people signed it, enough that the labor board recognized it. In October, in the middle of negotiations, the Labor Board held a vote and we slaughtered them! We always invited union members to sit in on negotiations with the company so they'd know what was going on. That's how we won our people. We said listen to the company yourself-how they say we're lazy and pretend we don't have the scars we do. In the bargaining session the company said that one of the companies they do business with filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy and now New Era was going to lay off 125 workers. They offered us what amounts to a 70% loss in pay for some. They gave us a little bit of money for medical but said all future increases in medical costs would be absorbed by the workers. We had four unpaid sick days before, but now they took those away, even though 50% of the people don't use them. They refused to give us a pension. People voted down the contract 238 to 10 in April. The contract would have meant poverty for all those people. We've always been piece work. To make as much money as before you'd have to do more work. The repetitive motion injuries in there are already so bad. The people would have ruined their hands with this new contract-and they would have done it because they have families to feed. In June the company said we know your people don't want to work here so we'll offer you a severance package. We said no. They just wanted to get rid of the people. JULY 16 WALKOUT The company said that on July 1 they would implement the contract we voted down. On May 2 we voted to strike, 221 to 69. We had been told by the International that the company would shut the doors if we went out on strike. But we said they're probably going to close it anyway and cut wages before they do. Everyone was screaming "Hell yes!" for the strike. We went out on July 16. Over 200 people came out to strike the first day at 5:30 a.m. They stand in pouring rain, sweltering heat. We have 47 people out on comp time after having surgery. During the first week of the strike they came out on our picket lines with braces on. Those with back problems came out and sat on chairs. The company insurance people wrote them and asked if they got paid to go out there by the union. They're saying if you can sit on a chair out there you can go back to work! Now these injured workers are sending their families to the picket line to take their place. I saw a picture of a factory in Mexico and thought, "my god that looks like us, like my factory." It was real clean looking. But cleanliness doesn't tell you anything. I ruptured two disks from constantly bending down doing my job. For each job at New Era you have to make so many pieces to get so much money. That's how I got carpal tunnel. There are five people now that have ruptured disks in their necks from having to keep theirhead down all day. This is in Derby, New York. So a sweatshop doesn't have to be in the Third World. It's clean just like that Mexican factory, but people get injured every day. Recently the company began getting some of their hats from Bangladesh and China. We better care about where the work is going because if they can hurt us like this, they can do it worse to others who can't fight back. And they'll ruin the water and air too. If I have carpal tunnel in Buffalo which has OSHA standards, what are they going to do to people in Bangladesh where they don't have that? It's not that I don't want people in Bangladesh or China to have work. Damn right I'm worried about my job, but I'm worried about what they do to other people too. The first week of the strike, a woman came up to me and hugged me. She said, "Even if I never get my job back, it's OK because I'm doing what's right." Never underestimate the strength of people when they have a just cause. -Jane Howald, president of CWA Local 14177 United Students Against Sweatshops are working directly with Local 14177. To help the strikers, contact: CWA Local 14177, P.O. Box 62, Derby, NY 14047. |
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