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   Vol. 67/No. 2           January 20, 2003  
 
 
Unionists strike against concessions
at Domino Sugar plant in Baltimore
 
BY KEN MORGAN  
BALTIMORE--Some 330 workers belonging to United Food and Commercial Workers Union (UFCW) Local 392 have been on strike against Domino Sugar since December 8. American Sugar Refining Co., which owns Domino, is the largest dealer of refined sugar in the United States.

Strikers and their supporters are walking the picket line, slowing down trucks rolling in and out of the main gate. Despite three company-hired camera operators continuously recording the pickets and a city cop stationed at the plant gate to keep traffic flowing, "They cannot intimidate us," unionist Joe Collins stated.

"They figured we wouldn’t go on strike. But they are taking away too much," said Bob Swiger, who was walking the picket line December 20 in front of the main plant gate in Baltimore.

Workers overwhelmingly rejected company proposals to shift employees’ retirement funds to an unknown company-run pension, according to a December 9 union press release. They also turned down company demands for an increase in the cost of family health insurance along with a drop in the quality of insurance; a cut in holidays, including Veteran’s Day; and a reduction in wages and benefits for all new hires.

A number of workers at Domino are near retirement, and others are concerned about their future, too. "We won’t let Domino destroy our retirement plans like Enron and WorldCom. Workers deserve a secure pension, not an insecure future," said Alex Hamilton, a 32-year sugar worker and president of UFCW Local 392, quoted in the union press release.  
 
 
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