The event marked the first anniversary of the strike by United Steelworkers of America (USWA) Local 303L against Titan Tire. It drew several hundred supporters from Steelworker and other unions in the Southeast, including USWA strikers from nearby Kaiser Aluminum in Gramercy, Louisiana, and Continental General Tire in Charlotte, Louisiana. The Continental Tire workers have since won a new contract after their yearlong strike, and returned to work.

At the September 11 event, a spontaneous walk into the plant occurred, as demonstrators reached the plant gate after marching from the union hall where everyone had gathered. Curtis Dromgoole, a bias cutter operator with 12 years at Titan, smiled when he recalled what happened. "I saw everyone going in, so I said, 'I'll go in, too.'"

Al Reynolds, a 44-year-old bias cutter, described what happened at the gate. "We had a rally up at the union hall, and then we decided to march to the gate," which is only a few blocks away, he said. "The gate wasn't closed, and the guard said, 'Come on in,'" —something others who were there that day have also reported. "There was no 'no trespassing' sign, and when the police asked us to come out, we came out." The action, he said, "was great."

Nevertheless, the Natchez Democrat described the march as an "ugly display." A few days later, arrest warrants for trespassing began to be issued to strikers. To date, 23 people have been arrested, including White, Dromgoole, and Reynolds. There was an initial court appearance September 27, where those arrested pled "not guilty."

The hearing on the charges is set for October 26, before a city judge. "If we're found guilty, we will appeal," Reynolds said. The trespass charges carry a maximum sentence of six months in jail and $500 fine. The company is also seeking to place an injunction against the union to restrict picketing. "We'll appeal that, too, if we lose," Reynolds said, adding that the company had tried a similar move early on in the strike and lost.

Several strikers, including one older white worker, noted that with only two exceptions, all those arrested are Black. This is seen by Local 303L members as a move to try to sow division among the strikers. One of the two whites arrested was USWA Local 303L president Leo "T-Bone" Bradley. The other was Mike Willey, a Natchez-area photographer hired by the USWA International to take pictures of the September 11 event.  
 

'The rest of the story'

"I haven't been arrested yet. I don't know why. I am one of the people The Natchez Democrat called 'culprits' who entered the main building of the Titan Tire plant last Saturday afternoon. And what I saw inside amazed me," Willey wrote.

"The huge building was silent. I saw no machinery running. Only maintenance lights were on. I saw no work going on. I saw fewer than 10 employees inside, all of whom appeared to be doing custodial work. Titan Tire, which plant owner Morry Taylor has said is currently producing thousands of tires, seemed to be almost deserted.

"The Steelworkers paraded through this darkened environment, harming no one, doing no damage, for about five minutes. They were exiting Titan Tire when Natchez police officers arrived. The police made no arrests. The crowd went on to its cookout." Willey was arrested shortly after this article appeared.

Meanwhile, an investigation of the Natchez plant by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration is underway, following an October 4 explosion and fire at the plant in which two replacement workers were burned. This was the most serious among an increasing number of injuries sustained by scabs working in the plant, strikers report.

Susan LaMont is a member of USWA Local 2122 in Fairfield, Alabama.  
 
 
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