However, there are companies that view trade unions as the devil incarnate. They do not give the unions the opportunity to operate within the organizations. Actually, they try to include clauses in employees contracts that deny them the right to union representation. This, it should be known is going against employee rights which give them the right to union representation (Beachler 265-277). History is riddled with example of instances where unions have played a significant part in shaping the future of worker rights and instances when they have been a total failure and a waste of resource organization.
This paper will look at the goings on in 1995 during a debate held at AWI union hall. The protagonists in this debate are the UPIU Local 7-837 President Dave Watts and his Vice president Glen Goss. The president is trying to galvanize support for the ongoing strike action by arguing that the unions strategy is on track and that they are not just reacting to issues and events. The Vice President on his part, is trying to convince the participants present that three years into the strike action, and with all of them locked out and with their jobs been performed by temporary workers the union strategy has failed. He is for backing down and accepting the terms being offered by Staley Corporation unconditionally.
Debate
WATTS Good evening fellow comrades in arms. It is wonderful to see all of you out here after the happenings of June 25. I hope you have had a chance to recover from all that pepper spray (Eyck, 2009). It is also wonderful to see all these young ones among us. You know these are the future of what we are doing. If they do not see and understand why we are striking, it will be very hard to have them understand why we have no steak in the house. And why the food rations have reduced. Before we start todays debate, I would like to invite our Vice president Glen Goss to give his opening remarks.
GOSS Good evening to you all. It is wonderful to see you all and hope this is the last time we have to meet under these circumstances. I am very sorry to all those who had to endure the paper spray ordeal on June 25th. As I have said countless times, if it was up to me, we would not be seating here discussing pointless strategies. Instead we would be at home with our families, having a nice time on full stomachs. In fact I propose this meeting be ended immediately and a vote be conducted with the sole purpose of accepting Staleys terms and conditions and we return to work tomorrow. God knows we need the money badly.
WATTS Relax Goss. You know very well votes do not just happen. After all you need to convince them (pointing to those present) to buy into your proposal. Any how back to the agenda at hand.
It is now three years since we voted to reject the new contract offered to us by Staley. We have come this far because we have all stood together as one family. We have been very successful in our basic action. To bring to the nations attention, the injustice of Staley Corporation has continued to meet out on us its loyal long time workers. In line with this I am happy to report that the through our mobilization campaigns we continue to add into our ranks many more sympathizers. They have identified with our cause. Let me remind everyone who feels we are not headed in the right direction what happened to the workers of the Pittson Coal Company. When they could take no more of the reducing remunerations, they resulted to withdrawing their services. When the company decided to call the strike a bluff, they actively sought support form outside state and country wide. For their efforts they got 46,000 miners joining them in solidarity by having sympathy strikes across 10 states. They also got another group of 30,000 nation-wide who had nothing to do with the mining industry join them (Brecher 5-7). Not only that, through publicity, they got international delegations of workers unions officials join them at the picket lines. We have certainly done better than them. Our network of sympathizers is country wide and keeps growing by the day (Zinn Arnove, 524-533).
GOSS The one thing that has been truly consistent with Watts is his unwavering belief in this strike action. This it seems has clouded his vision of things and view of the truth on the ground. In this room today I see people who have been surviving on two meals a day. I see people who pray that they do not fall sick since their health insurance has lapsed. There are among us who are facing foreclosures on our homes because we have fallen so behind on our mortgage payment, they would need a telescope just to locate us in the system. When we started it was okay because we all believed it was going to last a short time and Staley was going to come around. Its now three years, Staley is still running and the management is not wavering in their resolve to keep us out. I believe it is time we accepted that we have truly been outmaneuvered and return to work unconditionally. Otherwise if we keep this up, we might find we never have our jobs ever again. Our brother Jim Shinall, chairman of the bargaining committee, has left us and gotten himself gainfully employed elsewhere. Denton Larrimore is another one who saw no future in our strike and left (Ashby Hawking, 237-246). Surely if Jim could see no future, who are we not to take the cue from him
WATTS In as much I respectfully agree with Goss on the fact that when we voted strike we all truly believed it was not going to be such a long protracted out battle. Having worked closely with Jim, I personally felt let down by his action. But then, you can not fault a man for making up his mind on an issue, you can only fault his decision. However, it would be unfair on all who have sacrificed their own comforts to join us and yet when we get our jobs back they will not be working with us. In line with that, the union has already put into gear Operation Pepsi. From our initial investigation, we can believe we can convince Pepsi not to renew their contract with Staley come December. We have already started seeing the results if this strategy. The Macon County Court ruling regarding the seven on the dock the other day. Since Pepsi values community involvement programs, it is from here we will be starting our agitation from. We already have, from our research, a list of all the events Pepsi is sponsoring between now and December. We will make sure in all this activities, we will bring out the message that Pepsi must as a matter of principle let go of Staley as one of its suppliers.
GOSS There goes out President again. Opening another war front when we do not have enough troops to fight in the fronts we already have. Some times I think Watts is blind and cannot see. Looking at the floor, the numbers present are less than a quarter of what we used to have when we started. Our assistance fund is already depleted. We can not afford even to give the remaining any assistance. They continue to languish in poverty in the name of strike action. This is a shame act. Personally I do not want to be identified with it.
WATTS Come on now Goss let us not get ahead of ourselves. It never helped to advance a populist view and it is so unlike you my brother (Beachler, 311-325). Let us not try to score propaganda points. You keep forgetting that even though you won the first round in April by having the membership vote for presentation on a proposal contract, this does not mean it has been ratified. The truth of the matter concerning the agreed family assistance program is that, even though our finance situation has been dire, we have managed to pay each member the agreed 60 per week picket fee without fail. Though not a lot and definitely not enough to take care of recurrent expenditures within the households, it does go along way in reducing the burden on the membership. It also ensures the members do not sleep hungry. All our members have been adopted and are getting 600 per month checks from our supporters country wide.
I for one do believe we have implemented a winning strategy. After this meeting, in conjunction with the Road warriors and the Solidarity campaign team, we are going to be upping the publicity campaign. Remember, we are fighting for the future of this community, and nation. The continued presence of our young ones is ensuring they understand where the fight is coming from. Do you remember the first days, when we did not know what precedents had been set Remember after each meeting when we had been schooled in the history of strikes and walkouts how we felt invigorated and fired up ready to take on the whole world I am still fired up. With the cooperation of religious groups, we will continue to use churches to take out our message, and to ask for assistance. We are also increasing the cooperating with young activists and university students (Babson, 155-178). They energy and vigor greatly compensates for their lack of knowledge in some of our finer points of contention. We are however, not giving up on our pickets outside Staley. Contributions to our kitty also continue to be received. It is not a lot but it is assisting us to keep the momentum. We will make sure this is used prudently and not misused.
It my sincere belief that we are about to achieve what we set out to get. I propose we carry on with the strike action, moving on the next phase of targeting Pepsi among other issues (Garin Molyneux, 113-126).
The proposal was put to vote and passed. 225 voted to continue with the strike action against 152 who wanted it suspended. The meeting ended at 8.30 P.M.
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