Vol. 75/No. 45      December 12, 2011

December 12, 1986
Five thousand flight attendants who struck Trans World Airlines (TWA) for 72 days last spring “are determined that they will return to their jobs,” according to Vicki Frankovich, president of the Independent Federation of Flight Attendants.

Frankovich also explained that the IFFA initiated a lawsuit, which is currently being heard in federal district court in Kansas City, charging TWA with bad-faith bargaining during the 24 months preceding the strike. “Their goal was to undercut the cost of all the other carriers by hiring 19-year-olds and ridding themselves of the older work force,” she stated.

By imposing massive work rule changes, including more forced overtime, TWA is currently operating with 4,000 workers doing the jobs formerly held by 6,500.  
 
December 11, 1961
Attorney General Robert Kennedy is a rank hypocrite. This was demonstrated in his Dec. 1 announcement of the indictment of the Communist Party for not registering under the Internal Security Act as a “foreign agent.” Kennedy asserted that the act “does not outlaw the Communist Party.”

The party was indicted on 12 counts. Eleven were for each of the days it failed to register after the Nov. 20 deadline, and the 12th for failing to file a list of members and a financial statement. If convicted, the party could be fined $10,000 on each of the 12 counts.

Registered members would be barred from federal employment. They could not hold union office. It would be a crime for any of them to apply for a passport. Under the Smith Act, they could be prosecuted as admitted members of a “seditious” organization.  
 
December 12, 1936
Six weeks ago the Ames & Harris plant struck in Portland for better wages and conditions. Their work was diverted to the Ames & Harris plant in San Francisco and the Bemis Bag Co., also in S.F. The rushing of work and the obvious preparation for a lockout, forced a spontaneous strike in the Bemis shop three weeks ago.

What helped to precipitate this strike was that the workers felt that they were working on “hot” goods from Portland and the local Bemis plant.

This is a complete tie-up of the new bag making industry in San Francisco and throughout the northwest. Strikers demands are: union recognition, with a steward system and no discrimination on union affiliation and activity; a 40-hour week; time and a half for overtime; 15 percent raise in wages for all workers.  
 
 
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