NEWS & LETTERS, April - May 2009
Fighting racism at Commercial Forged
Chicago--My name is Charles R. Gilyard, President of Local 2154, United Steelworkers--the last steelworker local in the city with full-time employees. Commercial Forged Products has approximately 60 union members. They filed approximately 150 grievances over the past three years, compared to 80 from the 11 other companies in the local.
Mr. Tobious, former Plant Manager, made a hangman's noose and held it up to Mr. Dortch, our shop griever for over nine years, in the lunchroom, stating, "This is what I used to do when I lived in Mississippi." While the company gave Mr. Dortch a letter of apology and so did Mr. Tobious, Tobious was never to my knowledge disciplined for this despicable racist act.
Mr. Dortch was terminated in January 2008. While he was out on the first termination the company terminated him a second time. There is still no date set for his arbitration, yet he is still standing strong. Pedro Benavides, the union Unit Chairman, was unjustly terminated in February 2008. Dortch and Benavides held the members together through previous contract negotiations and the company didn't want that solidarity. Mr. Benavides' arbitration was stalled until April 16.
This Feb. 9, Apolinar Quiroz, who filled Benavides' vacant union position, was given a suspension pending termination. He was reinstated one week later but the intimidation factor was present. The one white union representative has never received one write-up.
During our contract negotiations in September 2008, Mr. Schriner, Vice President and General Manager, proposed removing Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s birthday as a holiday, stating Blacks were no longer the majority in the shop. He also proposed removing the civil rights committee. All of the employees were angry at this, our Latino and white brothers as well.
Negotiations came to an impasse with only two of the company's 48 proposals remaining on the table. One was to allow the arbitrator to decide the amount of back pay awarded to a reinstated employee, rather than being made whole for all lost time. The second company proposal was to limit the Local Union President's leave to one term in office, whether re-elected or not.
We went on strike over this language. It lasted two weeks, given what the economy was like in November and that it takes four to six weeks before the strike fund would kick in. Since the strike ended, members have been harassed and intimidated.
Mr. Schriner told me that I am not an employee and that if I continue to be the President of the Local I will no longer work there. The opening question of the contract negotiation was, "Am I still an employee at Commercial Forged Products? The only reason you want me back is to terminate me as you have done previous union officials." Mr. Schriner had no response.
I wrote a letter to our President, Leo Gerard, United Steelworkers, and to the President of Change to Win, Anna Burger, asking that they come together under one federation. We have union members suffering, losing jobs, homes, healthcare, because we are fighting for workers' rights and civil rights. I suggest all unions come together at Commercial Forged to show the world that our solidarity transcends our differences.
An injustice to one is an injustice to all, it should not matter what union you are in. We need all of the unions to stand together with us at our Civil Rights and Workers Rights march at 5757 W. 65th Street on April 17 at 11:00 am. I am currently working with Jobs With Justice and News and Letters to put the march together.
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