—ON THE PICKET LINE—

Maggie Trowe, Editor

 

Locked-out Honeywell workers in Indiana win support

SOUTH BEND, Ind. — “Your fight is an example for all workers,” said Rosa Maria Rodriguez, financial secretary of United Steelworkers Local 1010, as she presented a check for $2,290 to United Auto Workers Local 9 here Aug. 5. Two carloads of Steelworkers and family members made the trip from East Chicago to the union hall and joined the picket line with the aerospace workers, who have been locked out by Honeywell since May 9 after voting down the company’s “last, best and final offer.”

Local 9 Financial Secretary Rob Williams said the union has also received contributions from UAW Local 5 and the UAW International, as well as food donations from teachers and other local workers. “And we won a victory — after 10 weeks the state of Indiana finally agreed to release our unemployment checks,” he said.

“If we go back for what they want we won’t really have a union,” Robin Harper told the Steelworkers who joined their picket line. The company is demanding drastic increases in health care costs, the right to ignore job classifications and tear up work schedules.

“They wanted to divide us, but they’ve brought us more together,” said Javier Martinez, who started work at the plant six months before the lockout.

“You can call on us to help in any way we can,” said Rodriguez.

— Betsy Farley, member of USW Local 1010

Los Angeles port truckers gain in fight for right to unionize

LOS ANGELES — Drivers at the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach have made gains in their fight against trucking bosses, who call them independent contractors in order to deny them the right to form a union. They are also denied benefits and overtime pay, and charged for expenses on trucks they lease from the company. Many make less than the minimum wage.

Drivers have struck different trucking companies 13 times over the last three years. They have also filed lawsuits for wage theft, pressuring the National Labor Relations Board to demand XPO Cartage and Laca Express reimburse them for truck payments made while they were misclassified.

Some 400 drivers also won a $5 million judgment in a class action suit against QTS Inc., LACA Express and WinWin Logistics.

Barb Maynard, a spokesperson for Justice for Port Drivers, the group organizing drivers for the Teamsters, estimates that in recent years 700 individual truck driver cases have been filed with the state Labor Commissioner, including 24 class-action and dozens of individual lawsuits. “We are pleased” with the recent victory, Maynard said, “but the issue of misclassification has not been settled.”

Pac 9 Transportation, one of the companies repeatedly struck by drivers, filed for bankruptcy to escape paying more than $7 million in penalties.

“Some companies drag their feet on wage theft,” Daniel Linares, a former Pac 9 driver who is owed $180,000 in the settlement, told the Militant. “Others, to avoid those situations, are changing, giving drivers hourly pay and benefits, but some still don’t pay for overtime.”

— Bill Arth

Southwest Airlines workers picket for contract in 10 cities

ATLANTA — “Thirty-eight months is much too long” and “Without us it’s just a machine” were some of the chants on the picket line at the Southwest Airlines terminal here Aug. 8.

“There are picket lines in 10 cities today,” flight attendant Travis Bruce told the Militant. Flight attendants in Transport Workers Union Local 556, who called the action, were joined by pilots and mechanics.

Flight attendants have worked under an expired contract for 38 months; maintenance workers and pilots for four years.

“We are taking this action today to let the company know that we all stand in solidarity and that they should get back to the bargaining table,” Pamila Forte, Atlanta Domicile representative of the TWU, told the Militant. Flight attendants are asking for cost-of-living wage adjustments and downtime pay, she said, adding that Southwest doesn’t provide lodging when, due to operational problems, crews are unable to get home.

“The airlines have consolidated down to four major carriers,” Bruce said. “Flights today are often full. We have to work harder, put in longer days and we get less money. Southwest is making big profits. We need a contract now.”

Three workers from Prospect Airport Services, who help passengers with wheelchairs and other assistance, watched the picket line for half an hour. They told the Militant they make $6.25 an hour plus tips. “They’re doing the right thing,” said Jennifer Rhodes. “It’s great! We need to do that here.”

— Janice Lynn and Susan LaMont