Without the support of the officials of United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 1439, about 250 union members out of a workforce of more than 500 walked out at Washington Beef here September 19.

The walkout was prompted by the company's stalling on negotiating a union contract that expired September 16. Among the issues the workers wanted addressed in a new contract are a raise in wages and adequate medical benefits. The overwhelming number of workers at Washington Beef start at $6.72 per hour and top out at $8.50.

The many hand-lettered signs carried by the pickets showed that another important reason for the fight is the mistreatment of the workers. Strikers explained that this includes the increased line speed, allowing workers only a few minutes for bathroom breaks, lack of adequate training, and unsafe conditions that lead to injuries. These signs included: "We are not machines, we are humans," "We are out for a good cause: Respect," and "It's better to die on your feet than live on your knees."

On October 13 the picket line was staffed by 25 or so strikers. While this number stayed about the same, different strikers and their supporters joined and left the line as the day progressed. Juan Serrano, a member of the union negotiating team before the strike, explained how the walkout developed.

The union leadership had raised the idea of a long extension in the contract negotiating period on September 13. According to the October 13 Yakima Herald-Republic, Sue Bonnett, the president of the UFCW local, said management and union officials had agreed to the extension of contract talks because mediators were unavailable after the September 11 attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.

The workers opposed a long extension and said they could agree to a one-week continuation only. The day before the contract expired the workers were informed by the company that the union leadership and management had agreed to keep contract negotiations going until November 3. This didn't sit well with the UFCW members at Washington Beef.

"On September 19 over 200 workers were in the lunchroom. Workers were on our own time, at lunch, and told the company we wanted to negotiate," said Serrano. "They told everyone to go back to work. When that didn't happen they said go home, you're all fired. The workers went to the kill floor where the workers weren't on lunch yet and many of them joined the walkout."  
 
Support from workers inside
Hector Roman is 30 years old and has worked at Washington Beef for eight years. "The company told us that we're all fired but a lot of the people working inside are telling the union and the company that we should be back to work," he said. Roman explained that the company is trying to cut across the support for the strikers from many of the workers who didn't walk out. "The company is telling people if they stop to talk to us they'll be fired," he said.

A few days before a worker from the kill floor stopped by the picket line to give the strikers some production figures. This worker said that the company had hired seven new people on the kill floor and that 35, about half the workers in the department, were on strike. "They only killed 417 cows today. Before it was 1,100," said the worker.

At the beginning of the strike the Local 1439 officials said the strike was not authorized and the unionists should go back to work. Since then the local leadership has filed a grievance against the company calling for all the workers to be put back to work. The union leadership is still not providing strike pay.

The strikers continue to get support from workers and others in the area. Having been moved off the street directly in front of the plant the strikers have gotten the agreement of the Yakima Nation to use their tribal land for a picket line. This is just across the street from the plant.

Porvenir, a Mexican bakery, is providing 100 baked goods a day to the strikers and supporters and friends stop by with donuts and other food. The rank-and-file strikers have organized for meals to be provided on the picket line and for picket shifts from 5:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. six days a week. They held a fund-raising dance that brought in several hundred dollars and are speaking out wherever they can. Juan Serrano spoke about the strike before a crowd of more than 300 Mexican workers from Washington who were meeting with the Mexican consul. The fund-raising dance was called an informational dance because it also featured a talk on the strike.

Strikers are looking forward to November 3, the last day of the extension on the contract negotiations. Referring to the company's attempts to fire all the strikers and divide the workers on strike from those inside, Manuel Rangel said, "We will win. Everybody goes back or nobody goes back."

Ernest Mailhot is a meat packer and member of United Food and Commercial Workers Local 81 in Seattle.  
 
 
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