BY RAY PARSONS
DES MOINES, Iowa - Striking members of United Steelworkers
of America Local 164 joined a rally at the Iowa State Capitol
here January 12 that drew attention to the crisis facing hog
farmers. The workers have been on strike against Titan Tire
since May 1998.
"A lot of people blame unions for the farmer's problems, but it's not us. We need to get together," declared Larry Culver, one of the dozen strikers who came. Over the summer, Culver took part in a number of union hand-billing teams at farm trade shows where Titan was showcasing its products. The strikers talked to farmers and others about their fight.
For the strikers, participating in the January 12 farm protest was a way to return the solidarity they have received from farmers. On December 23 the Iowa Farmers Union and other groups donated 10 hogs, amounting to some 1,400 pounds of fresh pork, to Local 164's food bank. Larry Ginter, a hog farmer and leader of the January 12 action said, "I'm delighted the strikers came down here. They're in a big fight."
The close ties between workers and working farmers was brought home two days later at a rally outside Titan's headquarters in Quincy, Iowa. Strikers from Des Moines and from another Titan Tire plant in Natchez, Mississippi, as well as dozens of supporters came. Willie Evans, one of the strikers from USWA Local 303L in Natchez, is also a farmer. He grows soybeans and wheat on a farm of less than 100 acres. Evans led the chanting and singing at the January 14 action and he summed up his enthusiasm for the strike by saying, "I refuse to give the rest of my life to a multimillionaire who cares nothing about his employees!"
He added, "Farmers are faced with the same situation. For example, some government programs have qualifications you may not have. It's unfair." Evans, who is Black, has been following the fight being waged through the class-action lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) demanding an end to decades of discrimination against Black farmers.
Ray Parsons is a member of USWA Local 310 in Des Moines. Tim Mailhot contributed to this article.