Most of the 300 workers are in the Bridgeview, Illinois, plant with a few dozen in a plant in Oaklawn, Illinois. The big majority are from Mexico. A significant minority is from Poland. Among the small number of U.S.-born workers most are Black.

The organizing drive lasted about six months. It began after some workers at Bridgeview called UFCW Local 1546 to ask for help in bringing in the union. This came after groups of workers tried to meet with management on several occasions to clear up grievances. Each time nothing was resolved.

The final incident came in March, after Stampede bosses arbitrarily changed the daily schedule of breaks. During several breaks, between 20 to 30 workers at a time went to the Human Resources office to complain. The next day, after getting no response from the company, many workers protested the new break schedule by continuing to go by the old schedule.

More than 100 workers attended the first meeting called by the UFCW. A small in-plant organizing committee was set up. Within weeks many had signed authorization cards for a union election.

After the union filed for an election, the bosses began a fierce “Vote No!” campaign, including company-employee meetings, post ups, videos, and handouts. In a clear threat, especially to undocumented immigrant workers, Edward Ligas, Stampede’s president, stated the company would give workers’ names, addresses, and social security numbers to “appropriate government agencies, including unemployment.” In addition, in July the company gave everyone a 35-cent hourly wage increase, more than the usual bi-yearly 15 cents raise. Many temporary workers were also brought into the plant just before the union election.

A number of union stalwarts said they and UFCW organizers tried to answer the company propaganda with their own leaflets, meetings, and individual discussions.

Some workers said the union campaign was not effective enough because it didn’t succeed in overcoming divisions fostered by the bosses. “We needed to do more to explain that all of us workers have common interests with our fellow workers against those of the bosses,” said one worker, who asked that her name not be used.

UFCW officials said they will work with union backers inside the plant to organize another union election in a year, the time mandated by the NLRB before a new vote can take place.

“I think people are going to want the union back in less than a year because of the way they are treating us,” said one member of the in-plant organizing committee. “There are already people who regret they voted no.”  
 
 
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