When boss plays 'terrorism' card
Unionists rally behind Haitian worker
By Boston Labor's ANSWER
West Roxbury Court reverberated with chants of "Drop the
racist frame-up charges," "Stop union busting" and "Marcus is
innocent, Laidlaw is the crime" on March 15.
Over 50 unionists and their supporters had packed the court
and picketed outside to defend Marcus Jean, a Haitian long-time
school bus driver and union militant in Steel Workers Local
8751. He had been fired from his job and accused of threatening
to blow up the building of his employer--a charge he vigorously
denies.
Despite an extraordinary police presence of squad cars,
motorcycles, riot gear and a video "intelligence" crew, all
designed to further orchestrate the charade that Jean is a
dangerous man and to intimidate his supporters, the protesters
stood their ground. Anti-war and Palestinian activists plus
members of Community Church of Boston joined with rank-and-file
members and officers of Hotel and Restaurant union Local 26,
AFSCME Local 3650, Auto Workers and a strong delegation from
Local 8751 representing all four school bus yards.
Laidlaw Inc. is a mammoth, transnational transportation
corporation. Since filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy last June,
it has pursued every avenue to maximize profits by cutting
wages, benefits, jobs and union rights. In this climate those
workers who resist union busting are targeted for attack.
'Terrorism': management's new tool
In the wake of Sept. 11 corporations have been given the
green light to dramatically up the ante in their union busting.
They have a new tool: bogus claims of "terrorism."
Taking their cue from anti-union bigot George W. Bush, they
proclaim, "You're either with Laidlaw corporate policy or with
the terrorists." Driver Marcus Jean was Local 8751's first
victim.
On Jan. 30 Jean was involved in a minor disagreement with
another driver over a blocked bus parking space. It was no big
deal. Assistant Terminal Manager Diane Kelly talked to him
about it and the matter was closed--no warning, no discipline.
The next day Terminal Manager Rick McLaugh lin, in a
provocative and harassing manner, tried to again interrogate
Jean about this incident.
This is a gross violation of his union rights. The matter
had been closed. Jean objected. He called McLaughlin on this
racist discrimination and refused to submit to unjust
management harassment, which was in clear violation of his
contract rights.
Jean stood his ground and argued his point, but never
threatened McLaughlin or anybody else. Laidlaw management then
went to the police, cynically exploiting the post-Sept. 11
climate. The company claimed that Jean repeatedly threatened to
blow up the building and that he posed a serious "terrorist"
threat to the property and employees.
Witnesses are prepared to testify for the Haitian worker.
Laidlaw's star witness, Diane Kelly, is "no longer with the
company." Word is that McLaughlin fired her for an alleged
assault against him.
Laidlaw workers say this case takes place in the context of
literally dozens of instances involving harassment,
intimidation and threats by McLaughlin against drivers at the
Readville bus yard. They say he has made it a standard practice
to falsely accuse drivers of threatening him, and that last
month management met with the union local and international in
Readville to hear some of the many complaints.
While Laidlaw's wild charges are a racist disgrace, it is
even more appalling that the police and courts are seriously
prosecuting this case. Laidlaw appeared before the Clerk
Magistrate with not one witness to back up McLaughlin's story.
The company's "labor relations" chief John Martis told the
clerk that McLaughlin had been given his "marching orders" from
corporate bosses to prosecute this case.
Corporation-directed government attacks on unions are
nothing new. The Teamsters, AFSCME, Service Employees and Local
8751 have all had to fight against this management tool. Years
ago, the corporations hired armed goon squads, the infamous
Pinkertons, to attack unions. Now they get the government to do
their dirty work free of charge. Bush's "homeland security"
only makes matters worse.
National anti-immigrant frenzy
A national wave of government-directed anti-immigrant
hysteria is sweeping the country. Racist violence, racist
profiling and denial of civil liberties have become the law of
the land, whether it's Arab people detained without charges,
immigrant workers arrested and facing federal charges at
Boston's Logan airport, or victims of racist violence. The
government has sent a clear message by releasing the sadistic
police in the Abner Louima case while at the same time
prosecuting an innocent Haitian worker like Marcus Jean.
Labor activists within the coalition Act Now to Stop War and
End Racism recently formed Boston Labor's ANSWER. They have
joined with Local 8751 Rank and File United to establish the
Marcus Jean Defense Committee. The committee has secured the
top criminal attorney in the region, people's lawyer Barry
Wilson. It is launching a full-scale, all-out defense campaign
to mobilize support.
It is organizing to pack the court at every appearance, get
endorsers, have picket lines, press conferences and letter
campaigns to the district attorney to drop the charges. It
plans to spread the word in union halls, community meetings,
churches and on the Internet.
Rachel Nasca of AFSCME 3650 states, "Workers throughout the
country must rally to Marcus Jean's defense. This case
concretely exposes the fact that the U.S. war has a domestic
front--workers, their unions and the poor. This criminal
corporate behavior is a threat to every union in the country.
Union busting and racism under the guise of 'protecting
homeland security' must be stopped."
For more information and to support this campaign, contact
the Marcus Jean Defense Committee, c/o Boston Labor's ANSWER,
(617) 522-6626, or visit the web site
www.iacboston.org/LaborsAnswer.
Reprinted from the March 28, 2002, issue of
Workers World newspaper
This article is copyright under a Creative
Commons License.
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