“Strike Fear Chills Dakota City,” was the headline of front-page article in the June 2 Omaha World-Herald. According to the paper, nearly all of the 30 workers interviewed said they are expecting or preparing for a strike. Workers said there are several reasons for this. Some referred to developments at other Tyson plants, like the one at Jefferson, Wisconsin, where Tyson forced UFCW members on a year-long strike that ended with a victory for the company. Others said union officials have reinforced such expectations.

“Everybody wants to go on strike,” Juan Lopez told the World-Herald. “I’m not willing to work for $6 an hour.”

Magdaleno Lopez told the daily that “no one wants a strike but everybody says we’re going to strike.”

During two recent reporting trips, Militant reporters spoke with Tyson workers who live in a large trailer park in South Sioux City, a town adjacent to Dakota City.

The company is preparing to “lock us out,” said Jeffrey Burg, a mechanic with 17 years in the plant. “I’ve heard that the company is willing to give a raise, but then increase our insurance co-pay by a significant amount.”

Catalina Vargas referred to the recent firing of 350 immigrant co-workers in March for lacking proper documentation. “This is related to the upcoming negotiations for our contract,” she said. “Also, the cops have set up checkpoints at the two entrances to our trailer park. This isn’t a coincidence, either. They coordinate with the shift changes at the plant. It’s very intimidating. They stopped me three times. First they asked for my license. Then it was to verify that my children’s safety belts were strapped. Then it was to check my car lights. This is connected to what is happening in the plant.”

Workers have gone on strike five times since the plant opened in 1966, including a 1977 strike where police outfitted with riot gear fired tear gas at strikers. The Dakota County sheriff, Alan Bligh, also called “Machine Gun,” earned his nickname from the weapon he carried during the strike.

Asked about the possibility of a strike, union president Marvin Harrington told the World-Herald, “The way things went with Cherokee and Wisconsin, it looks like things are headed that way.” He was referring to other Tyson plants where the company forced major concessions. In a June 22 phone interview with the Militant, Harrington commented that “negotiations begin August 7, and we’ve got some of the major issues like everyone else, such as health care and wages.”

Lisa Rottach is a member of UFCW Local 271 and works on the kill floor at Swift & Co. Nelson González contributed to this article.  
 
 
Front page (for this issue) | Home | Text-version home