This column is devoted to reporting the resistance by working people to the employers' assault on their living standards, working conditions, and unions.

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.

Strike Wins Higher Pay For Australia Car Workers
Following a week-long strike, workers at BTR Nylex in Melbourne, who produce key components for car manufacturing, won a 9 percent wage increase over two years.

The walkout began after BTR management decided to use non- union labor on the assembly line. But the company was forced to back down as the impact of the strike hit the car assembly industry. Two of Australia's biggest car manufacturers, Ford and Toyota, laid off more than 6,000 workers April 11 as production ground to a halt as a result of the parts-plant strike. Employers warned that another 10,000 auto workers would be affected if the walkout continued.

This is the second industrial dispute to hit Ford in recent weeks. Last month nearly 2,000 workers walked off the job to protest against losing pay during a shutdown that was the result of a strike at the Ford plastic division.

San Francisco garment workers fight for jobs
Chants of "Save our jobs!" and "Keep Lilli Ann open!" rang through the crisp noon air April 17 as 200 garment workers, members of the International Ladies' Garment Workers' Union (ILGWU), held a rally and informational picket line in front of San Francisco City Hall.

The workers, primarily immigrants from Asia and Latin America, are members of ILGWU Local 8 at Lilli Ann Corp., where they produce women's dresses, suits, and coats. On April 12, the company gave notice that it would close the factory in 60 days, after 62 years in business.

Dozens of Lilli Ann workers, including some rally participants, have already been laid off over the past several months. Union officials are pressing for the city administration to assist in finding a new owner to keep the plant in operation.

Rally speakers included Katie Quan, manager of the Pacific Northwest Council of the ILGWU, who spoke in English and Cantonese; San Francisco labor federation president Walter Johnson; and several members of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors - the city council.

Many of the workers, who carried signs in Chinese, Spanish, and English, have worked at the plant for more than 20 years. The mood of the rally was spirited and determined, but many union members expressed deep concern for the oldest members of the workforce. Several younger workers picketed with their arms around their oldest co-workers.

As the ILGWU members boarded a bus to return to an afternoon of work, Quan urged everyone to attend the union meeting that evening. The city agreed to hold hearings on the status of the plant.

Los Angeles janitors win new contract
Justice for Janitors members of the Hospital and Service Employees International Union won a victory in Los Angeles April 3. After a four-month campaign of demonstrations and a rank-and-file janitors convention of 2,000, the major janitorial contractors, in conjunction with the Building Owners Management Association, signed a contract. Union janitors now clean 70 percent of the county's commercial office space.

Previously, the contractors threatened to replace many of the 8,000 unionized janitors with non-union workers. The management association had also demanded that workers pay 25 percent of any health-care premiums on existing or new plans, and had offered only minimal wage increases. As part of the new contract, janitors won a fully paid family health-care and dental plan phased in over five years.

Most janitors are immigrant workers. Wages ranged from $4.45 an hour in the greater Los Angeles area, to $6.80 an hour in the more organized downtown buildings. By the end of this five-year contract, all workers will receive between $6.80 to $7.20 an hour, with the starting wage being only slightly less than top wages.

At a meeting of more than l,000 janitors that voted overwhelmingly to approve the contract, union members cautioned that the agreement will not end their fight. "Management will try to cut our hours while trying to force us to do the same amount of work," said one worker.

The contract contains provisions against speedup and protection against layoffs and cutbacks. It also includes new seniority rights and safeguards against company discipline. Some 6,000 janitors will get paid vacation and holidays for the first time.

"I am emotional because it is the first time the janitors at our building have won anything," said Clara Ramirez, who has cleaned offices in Woodland Hills for 10 years and makes only $4.25 an hour. "I haven't heard all the details but I am very happy."

Contributors to this week's column include: Linda Harris, a member of Australian Manufacturing Workers' Union in Sydney; Joan Radin, a member of United Transportation Union Local 1732 in Oakland, California; and Mark Friedman, a member of International Association of Machinists Local 2785 in Los Angeles.  
 
 
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