"We're pretty sure at this point it's union- related," asserted Paulding County Chief Deputy Keith Baird, who added he has no physical evidence, just a gut feeling.

More than 50 union members, including one member of USWA Local 8530 from Ideal Electric, and several from Local 549 of the United Auto Workers at General Motors in Ontario, Ohio, appeared in court December 21 on a variety of charges related to the lockout. Some of the workers were arrested for carrying out peaceful and legal picketing in front of the homes of supervisors in the town of Shelby. Local 549 president John McCune complained to the Mansfield News Journal that the police are one-sided in issuing citations for incidents, targeting only Local 169 members and their supporters.

Recent incidents have included police arresting a union member on December 10 for allegedly dropping jack rocks (made of bent nails) in front of the plant, and the bombings of a salaried employee's mail box and a truck used by the Luntz Corp., which supplies AK with scrap steel.

Police took a saliva sample from a Local 169 member on December 13 to see if his DNA matches a sample found on a burned cigarette they claim to have found in two unexploded firebombs on September 25. The cops said they targeted the worker because company guards videotaped him making comments that indicated he might know something about explosives. The sample turned out negative.

"The police could have easily set the guy up," remarked Local 169 member Larry Pugh. The AK Steel bosses are trying to use these incidents to turn public opinion, which has been solidly behind the locked-out workers, against Local 169. The company paid for a full-page advertisement in the December 17 News Journal with the huge headline, "Help End the Terrorism" accompanied by a picture of a nail bomb. In the ad the company offered a $100,000 reward for anyone who helps turn in a person for putting bombs on company property.

"They want us to lose community support, which has not been successful," said Raquel Curry, referring to this ad, in an interview at the Mansfield courthouse December 21. Curry is one of the locked-out workers who faces charges of violating an injunction to stand 350 feet from the plant gate. "The amount of support—people stopping by to see how it's going, making donations, and offering anything we need—is just incredible," she said.

The News Journal is promoting the bosses' campaign against the union. In a December 12 editorial referring to a man arrested for allegedly dropping jack rocks, the paper says, "We hope the maximum penalty is imposed."

Pugh commented that "the News Journal very seldom says anything negative toward the company, but almost always says something negative toward the union."

Ray Delarwelle, another activist in Local 169, felt that the News Journal is "mostly fair," but noted that "they'll make a mistake on the front page, and then the retraction will be almost hidden on the second page." He also pointed out that the paper insinuated that the union member arrested on December 10 on charges of dropping jack rocks was responsible for all of the jack rock incidents related to the lockout.

Union officials have denied that union members are responsible for the incidents that have occurred. Local 169 staff representative Bill Collins told the News Journal that the union only wants to reach a contract agreement with the company and wouldn't stoop to acts of violence that would undercut those efforts.

Pugh pointed out that AK Steel's goons threw jack rocks on the grass where union members parked when they did picket duty. "They ruined my tire, ripped the sidewall," he said.

He described another incident when AK thugs tried to run his car into a semi. When Pugh called the police, the cop said, "I might have known," on learning that Pugh was a locked-out worker. The prosecutor wouldn't pursue the case, claiming that there were no witnesses.

Union members continue to reach out to build support for their struggle and other labor battles. Several members of Local 169 went to the Detroit suburb of Grosse Pointe during the week of December 13 to join with striking steelworkers from Titan Tire in picketing the house of Maurice Taylor, the owner of Titan Tire.

On December 17 the company and the union agreed to allow an arbitrator to determine if union workers are entitled to medical benefits. In the meantime, benefits will be restored. But if the company wins during arbitration it would be allowed to recover the medical care costs directly from employees, it claims.

Tony Prince is a member of Union of Needletrades, Industrial, and Textile Employees. Eva Braiman contributed to this article.  
 
 
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