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.

SYDNEY, Australia - The Maritime Union of Australia (MUA) won a significant victory on the Cairns docks in north Queensland September 18, when International Purveyors Inc. (IPI) backed down from using nonunion labor to load the Java Sea, a ship bound for the Freeport mine in Indonesia. All 27 workers at Northern Shipping and Stevedoring Services, which runs the Cairns port and held the contract for loading Freeport vessels, were fired September 12. Three days later, IPI took over the contract with plans to use nonunion labor to load ships.

MUA members from Sydney, Brisbane, and Townsville traveled to Cairns to join picket lines of around 60 unionists at the Cairns wharf and outside IPI. Crucial support came from the International Transport Workers Federation, the international umbrella organization, which had affiliate members on board the Freeport vessel, Java Sea, and threatened IPI with placing a ban on the vessel entering the port.

The Sydney Morning Herald lamented the union's win, with a front-page headline: "Round one to unions," accompanied by photos of celebrating unionists.

In another blow to the federal government, Orient Overseas Container Line (OOCL) will be opening its new container terminal in Sydney in 2000 with union labor. It was reported September 22 that OOCL had reached a deal with the NSW state government and the MUA.

The federal government has announced that it will pursue attempts to break the MUA, by directing that nonunion labor be used by Defence Maritime Services in its new contract servicing the Australian navy.

Board mill strikers win support in New Zealand
KAITAIA, New Zealand - At the end of September, as they began their sixth week on strike, 88 percent of the 195 workers at the Juken Nissho Limited (JNL) board mill here voted in favor of continuing their fight. The Juken Nissho Triboard mill is the biggest employer in this small town in the far north of New Zealand. It processes timber from local forests into a high-quality particle board. Most of the workers belong to the Wood Industries Union (WIU), but members of the Engineers Union and Northern Distribution Union are also on strike.

The strike is in response to the company's demands for cuts in the contract conditions, including a reduction in overtime rates from time-and-a-half and double time down to a maximum time-and-a-quarter. Service allowances and annual leave would also be slashed in the company's plan.

Keith Shadbolt, a worker from the plant who chairs the strikers' welfare and finance committees, told the Militant, "We are rostered on the picketline in 12-hour shifts. We also have three all-up meetings per week, to which families of the workers are invited. We have committees to deal with food collection, finding casual work for strikers, publicity, a women's committee, and so on." The strike committee issues a news bulletin, of which they distribute 2,500 copies in the local community, and fax to union offices and other supporters around the country. Strikers have been on union- organized speaking tours to the central North Island, where the biggest forests and processing plants are located.

These efforts to reach out have won the strikers wide support. As well as support from throughout the WIU, solidarity has been received from the Watersiders Union and unions in Japan. Workers at the big Glenbrook steel mill in Auckland heard a report on the JNL strike at their regular union meeting, and made donations from union funds, as well as taking an additional collection at the meeting. Supporters groups in Whangarei and Auckland have collected and sent food, and some local farmers have donated beasts to feed the strikers. Leaders of local Maori tribal groups have been invited to meetings with the strikers, and have offered support.

UNITE members fight for contract in Miami
MIAMI - As "What do we want?" resounded from a bullhorn the 75 pickets outside Medi-Transportation chanted back "Contract." Cheers went up when a UPS driver honked his horn and waved.

Amed Santana, a 24-year-old recent immigrant from Cuba, had worked at Medi-Transportation for a year and a half before being fired six months ago for union organizing. He said several months ago 18 of the 24 drivers at Medi- Transportation had voted for the Union of Needletrades, Industrial and Textile Employees (UNITE) in a union representation election; four voted against. Since then the company has refused to seriously negotiate a contract and not only fired Santana but some of the other drivers who were involved in the union organizing.

Angel Dominguez from UNITE told a rally following the picket that after the union election victory the company hardly talked to the union. In the last week, however, since actions like picket line began, the company had called several times.

Members of the United Steelworkers of America who work at Pepsi-Cola in Miami came to the rally to let people know that the president and vice president of their local had been fired by the company. Organizers of the rally at Medi- Transportation called for the demonstrators to turn out at Pepsi October 9 to support their fight.

Concession contract passes at Deere & Co.
CHICAGO - United Auto Workers (UAW) officials announced October 6 that union members had ratified a new contract with the agricultural and construction equipment manufacturer Deere & Co. by more than a 74 percent majority. The six-year agreement covers some 9,000 members of 11 UAW locals in six states.

Over the course of the contract, current Deere employees will receive six lump-sum payments in lieu of raises. These payments, equal to three percent of an employee's income, will not be rolled into the base pay rate.

The contract also establishes a second tier, with deep concessions in pay and benefits for all newly hired employees. The second-tier workers will never achieve parity with the wages and benefits of the current Deere employees. According to the company, beginning employees will receive base pay ranging from $10.47 - $17 an hour. Under the old contract, new employees received between $14.42 and $22.02.

According to the UAW contract summary, the wage scale of the new hires will increase by one percent for each year of service. A new employee hired in at the lowest pay level will start at $10.46 an hour. After five years of service, this base pay will have risen to $10.99.

With the new contract in hand, Deere has begun hiring new workers at the lower pay scale. At the UAW Local 450 ratification vote in Ankeny, Iowa, a worker with 37 years' seniority at Deere told the Militant, "They just want to get rid of us older workers and hire young workers for a lot less pay."

Outside Local 838's ratification meeting, Tom Swale, a worker at the Tractor Assembly plant in Waterloo, Iowa, said, "Since the last contract I have worked 9 - 10 hours every day, and turned down Saturday work. You only work an eight- hour day if they run out of parts. Now, the starting wage for new hires is like when I started in the 1960s."

Marnie Kennedy in Sydney; James Robb, a member of the Meat Workers Union in Auckland, New Zealand; Ernie Mailhot, a member of the International Association of Machinists in Miami; and Cappy Kidd, member of United Auto Workers Local 890 in Chicago, contributed to this week's column.  
 
 
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