"I came here to show support," said Kelsey Simon from Gramercy, Louisiana, who was among the 200 people at the protests. Simon and about 35 of his co-workers locked out of the Gramercy Kaiser plant rented a bus to come to the actions. "This is my fight, to the last day."

"The strike is strengthening the union. It has opened the eyes of many workers about the company and the need for the union," said Henry Love, who also came on the bus from Gramercy. "The company has pushed propaganda to weaken us for too long. Since the strike began we are constantly being reminded of their 'good faith' and their 'trust me' slogans that are not about bettering conditions for everyone, but about lining their own pockets."

The workers from five Kaiser plants went on strike in September 1998. They were locked out by the company in January 1999 after offering to return to work. The Steelworkers were joined at the rally here by supporters from Texas, Florida, and Oklahoma, and by environmental activists from California and the Pacific Northwest.

The contract fight is fueled by Kaiser's demands to cut retiree health insurance benefits, weaken seniority, and eliminate hundreds of jobs through contracting out. The lockout affects a total of 2,900 workers.

After 20 months out on the street, the Kaiser workers were in fine fighting form. The activities included a march through the streets of Houston, a rally at Maxxam headquarters, a candlelight protest at the home of Maxxam head Charles Hurwitz, and preparatory meetings for the May 23 stockholder meetings.  
 
Rubber workers back action
A highlight of the day was the arrival of a bus full of workers from the Michelin tire plant in Ardmore, Oklahoma.

Involved in an organizing drive there, the workers were told by their bosses that they shouldn't join the Steelworkers union, citing the example of the locked-out Kaiser workers.

"They published a false document," explained Jim Teague, a union organizer in Ardmore who works at a nearby plant. Raymond Duffy, a tire builder at the Michelin plant, told how the company's slanders backfired. "The union drive was strengthened and we organized this bus in solidarity," he said. "We're here to help these guys," added Linda Gilliand and Rick Smith, both from Ardmore.

Speaking at the afternoon rally in front of Maxxam headquarters, Jody Viebrock from the Trentwood Kaiser plant in Spokane explained that not only she, but her father, brother, and in-laws worked at the mill. "Why does Hurwitz think the plant is his when we are the ones who work there?" she asked. "In my family alone we have over a hundred years of experience in the plant."  
 
Successful campaign to isolate Kaiser
Linda Ott, one of about three dozen workers from Spokane at the rally, explained how she and Viebrock participated in the successful campaign that led to Daws Manufacturing canceling all Kaiser Aluminum orders. "We organized rallies. We picketed. We worked with the union there," she said. The victory with Daws, the third largest customer for the Trentwood plant, provided a boost for the determination of the locked-out workers.

"Remember its an illegal lockout," Ott is quick to point out, referring to the April 26 National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) announcement that it will file unfair labor practice charges against Kaiser. Negotiations, recently broken off by the company, have been restarted again following the NLRB ruling.

On the second day of actions, the Kaiser workers were able to turn the annual stockholders meetings of Maxxam and Kaiser into a forum for their demands. They were joined by environmental activists protesting the actions of Maxxam-owned Pacific Lumber, which has been the target of numerous protests over its clear-cutting of the old-growth redwood forests. Throughout both meetings, the time allotted to questions was virtually monopolized by unionists who proceeded to expose the companies' lies.

Several workers from the Gramercy plant dissected the bosses' explanation of how a deadly explosion occurred last July, saying they believed it took place because of the arrogant disregard by the bosses for the experience of union members. Workers from the other plants exposed the company's union-busting campaign that began months prior to the strike. In response, Kaiser CEO John Milchovich admitted that a strikebreaking plan with a detailed budget was in place by mid-1998.  
 
Workers discuss strike impact
Henrietta and Dave Wolfe came from Spokane to participate in the Houston protests. Dave has worked at Kaiser for 29 years. Henrietta estimated that "20 to 25 workers from each of the two Spokane plants," flew to Houston for the actions. "I think more and more workers are becoming distraught at what Hurwitz and Milchovich are doing now, especially when you think back to 1984 when they gave them back $4 an hour." That year, in response to company threats of bankruptcy, Kaiser workers took a severe wage cut.

"Before the lockout I was unaware of the environment. Now I wonder about things I took for granted," said James Croghan, who has worked on the hot line at the Trentwood mill for five years.

Clarice and Ron Underhill came to Houston along with two other workers from Kaiser's Tacoma plant. Clarice told the Militant that before the strike she had "never been to a protest before. Now we go everywhere. My friends at work ask me, 'Well what's the protest this week, Clarice?'" She said that before the strike she and her husband "never knew anyone from Spokane, let alone workers from all around the country." In some ways, "being on strike has been a good thing. It has opened up windows for us."

Ron Underhill explained, "There we were, secure in our jobs, not really thinking about what was going on around the world. Then suddenly we were out in the cold, filing for unemployment insurance and struggling to make ends meet. You looked around and saw so many other people in the same situation everywhere. It gave us a different view."

Jacquie Henderson is a sewing machine operator in Houston. Michael Martinez is a member of the Young Socialists from Miami. Steve Warshell contributed to this article.  
 
 
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