While the cost of individual medical coverage stayed the same, workers with the family plan were shocked to see on their paycheck the week after the contract took effect that their insurance costs had doubled. One worker’s weekly insurance premium jumped from roughly $70 to $140, leaving her with take-home pay of just $75.

Faced with workers’ anger, the company began immediately backing down. Management gave everyone with family medical coverage a postal money order equivalent to the increased amount.

Workers continued to make their anger known. On two occasions dozens broke into union songs and boisterous chants as they waited in line to punch out after work. The singing could be heard all over the factory.

“This was their way of intimidating people and trying to divide the union,” UNITE member Umberto de la Cruz told Militant reporters.

At a company meeting held with those who have the family plan, company officials blamed UNITE for the increase. They said the union had agreed to the hike in the new contract.

Company representatives claimed they decided to hand out the postal money orders to alleviate workers’ hardship.

“We thought the cost of insurance was going to decrease,” said unionist Milagros Santos. “But the company jacked it up. Even if we were rich we couldn’t pay that much.” At the company’s two non-union plants just miles away, insurance costs for workers stayed the same. “This was a company tactic to wear us down,” Santos said. “They are going to try to crush the union one way or another.”

The attack on the medical insurance came in the context of attempts by the company to speed up production, impose stricter work rules, and undercut the union victory.

A number of workers called UNITE officials to discuss the situation. Then, they decided to put out paper badges in Haitian Creole, Spanish, and English that said, “Point Blank, stop playing with our medical insurance. The struggle continues. UNITE!” Scores of workers wore the badges into work May 19 or hung them from their sewing machines.

Two days later the company caved in. In a letter to employees with the family plan the company stated, “We are pleased to announce that the Company has agreed to continue to pay most of the cost of health insurance and change our collective bargaining agreement to reflect the prior practice.”

“What an excellent victory,” said de la Cruz. “I believe that it came about because of the action we took. Without it, they would have continued to take the money out.”

The same day UNITE south Florida manager Arcine Rasberry came inside the lunchroom on company property for what turned out to be a celebration of the union victories. She was handing out checks to union members. The first check of $85 was compensation from Point Blank for calling in the cops to evacuate the factory for one day and lock out workers after a union protest in July 2002. The second check for $280 was the bonus paid by Point Blank for signing the contract.

During the entire two-year fight for union recognition, UNITE officials were unable to enter the plant. On May 5, UNITE southern regional director Harris Raynor toured the plant. Almost everybody started cheering when he reached the factory floor.

While Point Blank managers continue to complain that many workers are not “cooperating” with the company attempt to boost productivity, workers are looking for ways to use union power to advance their interests.

One worker brought a copy of a May 20 article in the Sun-Sentinel into the factory. The article noted that Point Blank’s parent company DHB made a profit of $6.4 million in the first quarter of this year, up from $5 million for the same period last year and has a backlog of $220 million in orders. Point Blank is a key supplier of bulletproof vests to the U.S. military in Iraq and Afghanistan. New hires are still paid only $5.50 an hour and many workers make between $6 and $7 an hour.

“Now we have to fight harder than ever to keep united,” said de la Cruz. “The struggle is going to get harder. The company is going to keep trying to stick it to us.”

Seth Galinsky is a member of UNITE at Point Blank in Oakland Park.  
 
 
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