The company videotaped workers engaged in organizing activities, prevented them from handing out union flyers in nonwork areas, and threatened to confiscate union literature. The UFCW, in conjunction with a group of local church organizations, launched a drive in mid-June to organize several large packinghouses in the Omaha area. ConAgra has refused a settlement offered by the NLRB, and a trial appears likely.  
 
'Temporary' workers win rights
In a decision that creates big opportunities for the labor movement, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) issued a ruling August 30 that removes a legal obstacle to unions organizing workers classified as "temporary." It stated that many such workers can join a union at their workplace without having to gain the permission of the temporary employment agency that assigned them the job.

The NLRB wrote that workers it described as part of a "contingent workforce" --as employers view them-- "are being effectively denied representational rights guaranteed them under the National Labor Relations Act." Relying on a pool of workers with fewer rights allows bosses to lower wages, speed up production, and weaken unions. Many of the coal miners killed in mine disasters have been "contract workers" forced to work under unsafe conditions.

Stephen Bokat of a pro-employer National Chamber Litigation Center, complained that "the ruling may eliminate some of the cost advantages of using temporary workers," according to the Washington Post.

There are 35 million such workers in the United States today. The number has doubled since 1990.  
 
Rubber workers reach contract
On September 4 Steelworkers officials and Bridgestone/Firestone Inc. reached a tentative contract agreement covering nine factories in eight states. It will now be voted on by the 8,000 union members. The contract reportedly stipulates a wage raise of at least $2.25 per hour over the three-year term, including cost-of-living adjustments that are no longer tied to meeting company production goals. Hourly pay rates under the old contract ranged from $9 for new hires to $19.

Workers won increases in monthly retirement pensions and some improvements in job conditions. They recovered some of the deep concessions made in previous years. Bridgestone/Firestone reached the settlement at a time when it has been forced to recall more than 6.5 million unsafe tires. The recalled tire models have been linked to dozens of fatal automobile accidents.  
 
Maine shipyard workers strike
Around 4,800 shipyard workers on strike at Bath Iron Works in Bath, Maine, voted down a contract offer September 3. Some emerged from the voting with clenched fists, chanting "Strike! Strike!" The workers are members of International Association of Machinists Local S6, the largest union in a workforce of 7,600.

The company, a subsidiary of the General Dynamics Corp., builds Navy destroyers. Pensions, health benefits, job classifications, and wages are major issues in the dispute.

--PATRICK O'NEILL  
 
 
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