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   Vol. 68/No. 39           October 26, 2004  
 
 
Textile workers strike in Massachusetts
 
BY SARAH ULLMAN  
FALL RIVER, Massachusetts—“When the last ballot was unfolded and we saw there wasn’t a single ‘yes’ vote, we were amazed,” said Ronald Melanson. The vote by workers at Duro Finishing was 176 to 0 to reject the take-back demands of the owner, Duro Textiles LLC, and to strike on October 3 at midnight, when the contract expired. Melanson, a utility man with 30 years at the company, was one of three members of UNITE HERE Local 1226T who counted the ballots at the union hall in nearby North Dartmouth.

The company does dyeing, finishing, printing, and coating of fabrics for apparel, industrial, and military use at four plants in Fall River.

The bosses’ final contract proposal at Duro Finishing, the largest of the plants, would replace the current 40-hour workweek with a 32-hour workweek, which the company may lower to 24 hours one week per month. This company demand is the number one issue for most of the workers this reporter interviewed on the picket line.

Another key issue is a proposed increase in health-care deductions from workers’ paychecks, from the present $8.18 per week to 20 percent of the premium cost. The company says this would amount to between $16 and $40 per week. Strikers estimate the figure would be $47 to $56, depending on plan and coverage. The company is also trying to eliminate some holidays, and get rid of job classifications, making everyone a utility worker. Pay is also in dispute.

“Everything we have we fought for,” Melanson said. “Our bills keep going up, not down. They want to bring us back to the 1970s. I think it’s wrong of them.”

The company has three union-organized plants, Duro Finishing, Duro II, and Duro Textile Printers—all within a few blocks of each other. Each has a separate contract and expiration date.

The striking workers at Duro Finishing, which is the largest of the three at almost 190 workers, have been picketing the other two plants as well to put pressure on the bosses.

Negotiations have not taken place since the strike began. Workers staff picket lines around the clock, seven days a week,

The smallest mill, Duro II, has 24 workers currently. Their contract was settled a few months ago, with the company imposing many of the same concessions they are now demanding of the workers at Duro Finishing.

The contract at Duro Textile Printers, which has a workforce in between the other two in size, will be up at the end of October. Many of those currently working there have joined the informational picket lines set up by Duro Finishing workers outside their workplace.  
 
 
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