We invite you to contribute short items to this column as a way for other fighting workers around the world to read about and learn from these important struggles. Jot down a few lines about what is happening in your union, at your workplace, or other workplaces in your area, including interesting political discussions.  
 
 
SAN FRANCISCO — One hundred fifty striking members of Teamsters Local 890 and their supporters took to the streets of downtown San Francisco November 4 for a spirited noontime picket line. The action took place outside the offices of William and George Hume, the board chairman and president, respectively, of the company that owns and controls Basic Vegetable Products, where the Teamsters have been on strike since July 7.

Some 60 strikers made the three-hour trip from King City, where the Basic Vegetable plant is located, to protest the continuing intransigence of the bosses. The company is refusing to negotiate with the workers and has insisted that the 300 scabs now working inside the plant will permanently replace the Teamster members on strike.

Approximately 750 workers are on strike against this major producer of onion and garlic powder. The main issues in the strike are the bosses' demands for a three-year wage freeze, the right to contract out jobs, a reduction of the workweek to 37.5 hours for half of the workforce, new rules making it easier for supervisors to do bargaining-unit work, two-tier wages, an increase in co-payment for health insurance, and an elimination of the existing pension plan in exchange for a 401k plan at one-third the company contribution level.

The strikers called the San Francisco action to help build a march and rally that has been called in King City, in the Salinas Valley, for November 14. They have been reaching out to other unions throughout the Bay Area to attend the event in King City.

Chanting "Sí se puede!" (Yes we can!) and "Teamster, sí! Basic, no!" the strikers were joined by members of Teamsters Local 78, International Longshoremen's and Ware-housemen's Union, International Association of Machinists, United Transportation Union, Service Employees International Union, and United Auto Workers. Members of the United Steelworkers of America locked out at Kaiser Aluminum plants in Washington, Ohio, and Louisiana, as well as Steelworkers on strike at Colorado Fuel and Iron in Pueblo, Colorado, also participated. Groups of workers from both fights are now in San Francisco building solidarity for their fights.

The picketers handed out flyers explaining the strike to interested passersby. Several members of the union went into the building to meet with company president George Hume, but were told he was not there. They reported that the mechanics and electricians inside the building put down their tools and stopped working when they found out about the picket line.  
 

Mattress workers fight plant closures in France

SAINT QUENTIN EN YVELINES, France — Three hundred striking workers and supporters from Epeda mattress factories in La Charité and Mer in the center of France demonstrated in this Paris suburb October 28, as company officials met with union representatives, protesting the projected closing of the two plants. The jobs of 430 workers are on the line.

Local actions against the closings since they were announced in early September, along with the announcement of 7,500 job losses for Michelin workers over the next three years, have helped fuel recent protests in France against layoffs.

Alain Mignot, a veteran Epeda worker and member of the General Confederation of Labor from Mer, told the Militant that in early September 2,000 workers had demonstrated against the Epeda plant closing there. Mer has a population of 6,000 people. Mignot explained that local farmers had participated in donating to the Epeda workers' fight.

Epeda claims the decline of the market for spring mattresses will lead to losses of 51 million francs ($8.2 million) in 1999. Slumberland, which owns Epeda, claims it has an excess capacity of 20 to 25 percent in France and needs to recenter its production in two other sites.

The protests led to a September 30 decision by labor ministry officials to reject the first restructuring plan proposed by Epeda, forcing it to come up with a second plan and go through a series of legally required meetings with union representatives, such as the one held October 28. This has given workers more time to reach out and broaden support for their fight.

According to Alain Mignot, 226 of the 296 employees in Mer, half of whom are women, made the two-hour bus trip to demonstrate October 28, along with many workers from La Charité. Workers in Mer are planning a large public debate November 17, inviting local political forces to speak out on the plant closings. They are also organizing an "open house" visit of the factory for November 28 to which they hope to attract 10,000 people.

Ellen Berman, a member of the United Transportation Union in San Francisco, and Derek Jeffers in Paris contributed to this column  
 
 
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