BY TONY PRINCE
WARREN, Ohio - Failing to break the resolve of steelworkers on the picket line here, the bosses at Warren Consolidated Industries (WCI), formerly owned by LTV Steel, announced on September 29 that it would temporarily suspend production. This is a major setback to the company's efforts to run the mill with scab labor and defeat United Steelworkers of America (USWA) Locals 1375 and 6824.
The union members are "fighters," says Roger Mays, a millwright at the plant who was attending a rally at the union hall September 30. "We will stay at this until the end, whatever it takes."
WCI's announcement came after escalating violence by company goons increased workers determination to stand up and fight. The violence itself was an indication of the increasingly desperate situation of the company, as its attempt to bust the unions have faltered.
WCI management locked out the 1,700 members of the two Steelworkers locals August 31, five hours before the contract expired. The company also hired the union-busting outfit Nuckols, Inc., to bring in strikebreakers and run the mill.
In announcing the suspension of production, WCI President James Stack tried to put the onus for violence on the union. "We have decided that the only way to protect our employees and the community against any further violence is to temporarily stop operations.... We are committed to restoring peace," he piously stated.
Similarly, big business dailies like the Akron Beacon Journal and the Cleveland Plain Dealer painted the company as the helpless victim of violent strikers. The Plain Dealer, for example, reported, "A guard was shot last week, and there were continuing incidents of rock throwing, smashed windows and threats, the company said." The paper reported nothing about the steelworkers on the picket line who were run over by scab vehicles or those union members shot at by company officials. Several strikebreakers have had their guns confiscated and police found other weapons inside the plant.
Company violence
At 6:30 a.m. September 26, Dennis Church, a worker on the
picket line at WCI's front gate, was hit by a car driven by
a scab and thrown 12 feet. Another picketer, Del Richards,
told the Warren Tribune Chronicle, "He intentionally ran him
over. All week they've been trying to run people down.
They're the scum of the earth." A similar incident provoked
an angry response by union members and their supporters
September 13 after a strikebreaker ran over a picketer.
Several hundred steelworkers mobilized and stopped all
traffic in and out of the mill. An injunction against the
union now limits the number of workers on the picket line.
In an attempt to paint the victim as the criminal, the police requested shields and riot helmets at a meeting of the Warren City Council September 27. They also complained that several police cars have gotten flat tires from nails near the picket line. The union countered by demanding that the city enforce an ordinance that was passed in the early 1970's prohibiting replacement workers and professional union busters. The law has never been enforced.
Solid unity, not "picket line violence," and the overwhelming support steelworkers have received in this highly unionized industrial town has forced the company to retreat from its assault on the union.
The company's decision to halt production is the culmination of a series of setbacks. WCI tried to be the first integrated steel mill to operate with scab labor since the USWA consolidated its presence in the industry decades ago. From the beginning the WCI workers have won broad support. Just three days after the lockout several thousand people marched on Labor Day in support of the steelworkers. On September 17 at least a thousand people participated in a march and rally called by the Women's Support Committee.
High school students have gone out to area shopping malls to pass out leaflets about the strike. Students at Youngstown State University are planning meetings on campus to get out the word about the strike.
The union hall on Elm Street N.E. is a hub of activity. The women's committee has set up a kitchen and commissary there, and union members are continually present, getting food or coffee, discussing the progress of the fight, signing up for committees and tasks.
Bosses surprised by solidarity
The WCI bosses have been taken aback by the unexpectedly
strong resistance they have gotten from the workers and
their supporters. The company is now showing signs of
disarray. The President and CEO, John Scheessele, who had
only been in his post for a year. resigned September 20.
Scheessele cited "personal reasons" for his resignation.
The union is planning to maintain the picket lines until a new contract is won. A major union rally will take place in Courthouse Square in Warren October 8 at 2 p.m. USWA President George Becker and United Auto Workers president Steve Yokich are scheduled to speak. The union is publicizing this rally throughout the region and urging a big turnout.