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Vol. 71/No. 10      March 12, 2007

 
On the Picket Line
 
Electronics workers in Scotland
march against plant layoffs
IRVINE, Scotland—More than 300 workers laid off by Simclar electronics marched here February 17 with placards demanding justice. On January 29 Simclar closed two plants without notice. Four hundred twenty workers, members of the Community union, lost their jobs. Since receiving government redundancy (severance) payments, the workers have now ended their protest actions with this march. Other unionists joined the demonstration to celebrate the stand the Simclar workers had taken, including 12 workers from the Mackinnon knitwear plant who last year struck for 18 days to fight for a wage raise.

—Peter Clifford

Massachusetts grocery workers
vote to authorize strike
LOWELL, Massachusetts—More than 5,000 members of United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 1445, who work at Stop and Shop in eastern Massachusetts, voted here February 18 to authorize a strike. The previous three-year contract expired that day. The local is one of five UFCW locals negotiating on behalf of 43,000 workers at the giant supermarket’s 231 stores in Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Rhode Island.

The company wants workers to begin making partial payments on their health insurance and to eliminate the pension plan for new hires, replacing it with a 401(K) plan. The company is also demanding cuts in the number of paid holidays and sick leave, and wants to split a yearly wage increase between February and August. “It appears that Stop and Shop is loyal to its stockholders,” said Ronald Roberson, a Stop and Shop driver for the past five years.

—Ted Leonard

Meat packers in Quebec
vote to accept concessions
TORONTO—After voting three times against company-demanded concessions, meat packers who work for Olymel at Vallée-Jonction, south of Quebec City, approved by a 62 percent margin a 27 percent cut in wages and benefits on February 13. Initially the bosses demanded cutbacks of 38 percent, warning they would close the plant if this was not accepted. There are almost 900 unionized workers in the plant, which is organized by the Confederation of National Trade Unions. On January 14 the workers voted by 99 percent to reject the bosses' demands. The owners then put forward a 27 percent reduction in wages and benefits. This was rejected January 30 by a 97 percent margin. Under growing pressure, the unionists voted on this offer again, rejecting it February 11 by 53 percent. After this vote, the bosses agreed that present wages and benefits would continue until the end of the present contract in September and withdrew a demand that would have taken away the right of workers to choose when they take their vacations.

—Joe Young
 
 
Related articles:
Deal between bosses, union may end strike on Canadian railway
Mexico miners wage one-day strike over job safety  
 
 
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