The 2,700 members of Chocolate Workers Union Local 464, affiliated with the Bakery, Confectionery, Tobacco Workers and Grain Millers International Union, struck two major plants April 26 rejecting the company’s demand for an increase of 10 percent to 12 percent in their insurance co-payments.

Annual wage increases according to the new offer will be 46 cents an hour for the first year, 2.7 percent in the second, 38 cents in the third, and 2.93 percent for the fourth. They will also receive $525 in signing bonuses. The workers agreed to give up a total of 19 cents from the original contract proposal over the four years in exchange for keeping their health care payments the same. Their prescription card payments will not increase, and the contract includes an amnesty clause, which waves any disciplinary action against regular and probationary workers who participated in the strike.

"It was worth staying out, we stood strong," said Debi Brown, a machine operator at the Rolo department, who participated in the 1980 strike against the company. "Then we braved the freezing cold and only got a 5-cent increase. We could have gone back out [to the picket line]," Brown added, "but this time we go back to work stronger." This response was reflected in the smil ing faces of most workers coming out of the Milton Hershey School’s Founders Hall giving the thumbs-up after casting their votes June 8.  
 
Strikers received solidarity
During the strike, workers kept up their picket lines around the clock at 23 locations, including the last day until an hour before the meeting to review the new company offer began. A week before, the chocolate workers on strike held the largest membership meeting ever, with an attendance of more than 1,500 workers.

"The community was behind us," said Ken Ginder, a mechanic with 12 years seniority. "No striker crossed the picket line," he added. The support was visible at the picket line when passing motorists sounded their horns, and from other union or nonunion workers who stopped to talk to strikers. Other unionists filled dozens of pages with their names in a sign-up book at the union hall. They received financial support and food donations from workers at the nonunion Reese’s plant, also owned by Hershey. Workers at Reese’s have expressed increased interest in unionizing during the course of the walkout.

In addition, the unionists discussed their strike through a web site created by one of the strikers with photographs, and a space for opinions and ideas.  
 
Company brought in strikebreakers
According to the Harrisburg Patriot News, Hershey Foods had brought temporary replacement workers into the plant at East Chocolate Avenue. The daily reported that within days a new 11-hour negotiating meeting took place between the company and the union, which led to a tentative contract and the membership vote at Founders Hall.

The victory of the Chocolate Workers union deals a blow to the antiunion drive by company head Richard Lenny, hired in March 2001 as chief executive officer. Lenny had worked at Kraft Foods, owned by the Philip Morris Company, and was known for his antiworker cost-cutting drive, which he wanted to repeat at Hershey Foods.

Calling the results of the vote a victory for the union, Bruce Hummel, business agent for the Local 464, said to the cheers of the unionists, "This ain’t 1980, and this ain’t no nickel," in reference to the previous strike in 1980 when they won a five cent increase. To conclude the strike and acknowledge the solidarity they received, workers celebrated with a candlelight vigil outside Founders Hall.

Hilda Cuzco and Marty Ressler are garment workers in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh respectively.
 
 
Related articles:
A victory in Hershey strike  
 
 
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