Truck drivers and dock workers at Overnite Transportation Corp. have launched a determined struggle for union recognition and a contract. They are up against a vicious antiunion boss, who has pledged the company will not tolerate a union, and has backed this up with firings, a large-scale scab operation at struck terminals, and refusal to negotiate with the Teamsters union. As one striker told the Militant, "You can't just give dictatorial power to your boss, which is what no union means."

After nearly two decades of fighting for recognition of the Teamsters union, some 2,000 workers are into the second week of what is shaping up to be a hard-fought battle. Many Overnite terminals have not been struck; at a lot of the struck terminals many workers have yet to be won to the union struggle. The strikers demonstrate a new militancy and resistance in face of the employers' assaults, explaining their determination to stand up, unite, and win union organization as a means to defend themselves against a profit-hungry boss. They are attempting to address divisions in the workforce fostered by the company, such as between dock workers and truck drivers, as the only road to building a strong union.

Overnite is an example of the deepening drive by the employers to turn the screws on working people — going after safety, health care, a living wage and full work week, and respect on the job — to scrape ahead in their increasingly competitive and profit-driven market system.

Working people in cities and countryside have a stake in the outcome of this battle, and can seek ways to win support for the unionization drive. Every fighting worker, unionist who has been through a similar struggle recently, and farmer or rural worker who has stood up to fight the increasing exploitation by the bosses, can make a difference in the outcome of the strike by acting now to concretely engage in support activity.

The October 28 labor solidarity rally held at the picket line in Atlanta is an example for the labor movement and marked a boost to the strike. Union drivers from other freight companies came to show support. Many other unions were present to throw their weight behind the strike.

Two years ago the Teamsters at UPS won wide support among working people as they fought for the rights of part-time employees. Part-time workers, of whom there are millions today in this country, knew they had a stake in the UPS strike. As the Atlanta rally showed, the battle at Overnite also strikes a chord with many working people.

The Overnite strike takes place at the same time that members of the United Steelworkers of America (USWA) are on strike against Titan Tire and General Chemical Soda Ash Partners, Inc. Steelworkers are also fighting lockouts by Kaiser Aluminum and AK Steel, among other battle. These fights strengthen and reinforce each other, enhancing the chances for victory for the union.

The Overnite strike stands on the shoulders of the recently concluded walkout by USWA members against Continental General Tire and the union organizing victory of the textile workers in Kannapolis, North Carolina. It coincides with an upturn in the fight for a union by workers at Delta airlines as well.

The Teamsters at Overnite can tap into the potential strength of the union movement and those who are now trying to win union representation. The 2,000 strikers at Overnite and the hundreds of other unionists who have joined them on the picket lines are a component of the new proletarian social movement coming into being in the U.S. This initial movement is characterized by its militancy, its staying power, and its ability to act on solidarity. Joining together in picket lines and other actions to back the unionization drive will strengthen the strike and bring to bear the lessons and experiences of other struggles over the past several years.

The Militant urges its readers to join the strike activities. Get out the Militant to co-workers and other fighting working people. Bring a co-worker or a friend to the picket line or a rally. Show around Capitalism's World Disorder: Working-class Politics at the Millennium, an essential book that is a handbook for all coming into and helping to forge this new proletarian movement in the cities and countryside today. A timely response to this strike can make a difference in furthering the union of all working people.  
 
 
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