Charleston 5 support fired UAW strikers
By
Dante Strobino
Cleveland, N.C.
Published Mar 16, 2008 8:11 PM
A March 4 community event here for the Freightliner 5—members of United
Auto Workers Local 3520 who were fired after leading a strike—highlighted
support the five are getting from other militant unionists in the South.
Ken Riley, President of ILA Local 1422, gives encouragement at Freightliner 5 meeting.
WW photo: Dante Strobino
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After the workers refused to accept the company’s concessionary contract
and initiated a strike on April 3, 2007, Freightliner bosses fired five members
of Local 3520’s bargaining committee—Robert Whiteside, Allen
Bradley, Franklin Torrence, Glenna Swinford and David Crisco—along with
six other workers.
The contract had 22 articles with no tentative agreement and 86 unsettled
sub-issues relating to health and safety. Among the concessions was a two-tier
wage structure, which pays newer workers far less than their seniors.
The other six got their jobs back after signing “model employee”
agreements; one was subsequently terminated.
Kenneth Riley, a dockworker and president of International Longshoremen’s
Association Local 1422, gave encouragement to the 50-plus Freightliner workers
at the meeting. Local 1422 is home of the Charleston 5—workers who were
put under house arrest in 2000 for leading a picket in Charleston, S.C.
Community support for labor
At the meeting, many spoke about organizing in the South and the need for
community-labor support groups. In 2007, North Carolina and South Carolina
ranked 50th and 48th, respectively, in union density in the U.S.
Riley spoke about the Charleston 5’s successful campaign after they faced
conspiracy charges for leading a picket line at which more than 600 cops
attacked 150 workers. Without being convicted of any crime, the Charleston 5
were then put under house arrest for almost two years.
“It was not until we got the community involved that things
changed,” Riley said. They rallied churches, community groups and
students. The case became an international campaign where trade unionists
threatened to go on strike if the five were convicted. In the end, they were
freed and given a fine of $100 each.
Local 1422 is “one of the largest and most powerful union locals in the
state with the nation’s lowest rate of unionization,” stated Riley.
“State troopers attacked the longshore workers only days after an
historic march on Dr. Martin Luther King’s birthday, at which 47,000
people demanded that the Confederate battle flag be taken down from the South
Carolina State Capitol.
“Local 1422 is a largely African-American local, a very important segment
of the Charleston community. It is significant that we are under attack because
we are living proof that unionization is the best anti-poverty program ever
created.”
Workers at Freightliner are finding ways to build a similar campaign. The
Freightliner 5 recently returned from a tour of the Midwest and West Coast to
gain support for their efforts.
Many Freightliner workers also participated with 7,000 others in the
“Historic Thousands on Jones Street” (HKonJ) march in Raleigh, N.C.
on Feb. 11, which marched on the North Carolina Legislature for the second year
in a row. The HKonJ People’s Assembly has a progressive 14-point platform
that includes livable wages, collective bargaining for public workers, ending
the Iraq war, civil rights enforcement, better education and addressing
chapters of racist history in North Carolina. Local People’s Assemblies
are being organized throughout the year across the state.
Solidarity is key
“In a ‘right-to-work’ state, with only 3 percent of employees
unionized, it is extremely important for the community to rally behind the
workers to improve their lot in life. ... When these workers are able to attain
these goals, this betters the community as a whole,” said Glenna
Swinford, one of the Freightliner 5.
“Solidarity is more than just a word, it is actions. Solidarity is when
people come together with one common goal, to undo the wrongs and build a
movement for justice for all.”
To learn more about how to support the Freightliner 5, visit
justice4five.com.
Strobino is an organizer with UE. The UE Eastern Region recently passed a resolution supporting the reinstatement of the Cleveland 5 and encourages other locals to do the same.
Articles copyright 1995-2012 Workers World.
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