BY LEA KNOWLS
PASCO, Washington - Members of the Teamsters union, other
unionists, and strike supporters rallied and marched here June
19 in solidarity with the 1,200 meatpackers from Teamsters
Local 556 on strike against Iowa Beef Processing (IBP) in
nearby Wallula, Washington. The action was co-sponsored by
Teamsters Local 556 and MEChA, a Chicano student organization.
The 700 marchers chanted, "Sí se puede" (Yes, we can do it)
and "What do we want? A contract! When do we want it? Now!"
Signs in the crowd included, "Long live the union" and "Strike
for justice."
A popular chant at the rally was "Vote no!" referring to the upcoming vote on the company's latest contract offer - a $1.57 wage increase over the life of a five-year contract.This wage offer is only a slight improvement from the $1.05 wage increase IBP offered last week. The union is demanding a $1-a- year wage increase over the life of a three-year contract.
Workers described health, safety, and speedup as other central issues. Kill floor veteran Edelmiro Vera said that years ago the plant killed 1,500 head of cattle in eight hours. Today the number has risen to 2,050; between two shifts the average daily output is 3,600.
The march ended in Memorial Park where there was a rally featuring strikers and other speakers, including a worker fighting her suspension by Alaska Airlines. Francisco Picado, a meatpacker and member of the United Food and Commercial Workers Local 120 at Galileo Foods in the San Francisco Bay Area, brought a message of solidarity from his co-workers. Meat market owner Polo Aguilera also expressed support, saying, "As long as IBP treats my people like it's doing to you, I will not buy any IBP products."
The picket line at the IBP plant in Wallula after the rally was lively, where 200 people had gathered in front of the plant.
The strike began unofficially June 4 after 30 workers were fired. Maria Martínez, the chief shop steward at the plant, said the bosses "tried to discipline an operator for stacking [letting the meat pile up on the line]. I shut off my machine and tried to find out what was happening. They told me to go back to my station and not concern myself with this. As a shop steward, I refused to back off."
Workers said when Martínez and 29 other workers walked out of the plant a company "attendant" demanded they turn over their badges and work equipment and said they were fired. When some workers tried to get back into the plant, they were pushed back by the attendant. "We told the boss either everyone comes back in or everybody stays out," said Rodolfo Blanco. Then the supervisors chained the doors of the plant so no other workers could get outside to join the walkout. A shop steward called the police from a cell phone to say that the workers were being held against their will, and when the company found out the police were coming they unchained the doors. Many more workers left the plant. Later workers from the afternoon shift joined the picket in front of the plant. At its peak the picket line numbered about 500 people.
Most of the workers did not work after that, but instead demanded the union hold a strike vote immediately. On June 8 the Teamsters officially went on strike with a vote of 847 to 291 in favor of the strike. According to Martínez, about 80 percent of the workers are Latino, and the others are from Bosnia, Laos, and other countries.
On June 12 the workers organized a mass picket, which was attended by more than 400 strikers and others. That day workers distributed a flyer in Spanish with their main demands: "We will fight for a just contract, for a safe job, for respect and for sanitary work conditions." José Avila, a worker with almost seven years at IBP, said the strike "is not just about money; we want to be treated better. We want to change things for those who will come later." Avila makes $8.58 an hour as a meat cutter. He said that when new workers arrive in his department, he urges them to work slowly and safely.
The strikers rejected the company's new contract proposal June 21, by a vote of 688 to 51. Union officials said another 342 ballots were excluded because there were questions of eligibility. IBP responded that they were withdrawing the offer and would begin hiring replacement workers. Martínez said about 150 workers have quit the union and returned to work; the company claims the number is 500.
The strikers are beginning to reach out to others to get support for their fight. On June 16 they spoke at a meeting of the King County Labor Council in Seattle to explain their fight, and on June 23 strikers addressed a rally protesting raids by the immigration cops.
Francisco Picado and Ned Dmytryshyn contributed to this article.