"This company is no different than Enron, WorldCom, Dynegy, and the rest of them," said pipefitter Barney Boudreaux. "We were all encouraged to buy up all kinds of Sterling Company stock while it was $12 per share in order to ‘protect’ our 401(k) plans. Now that stock is not even worth six cents per share. I personally know a fellow who invested everything he had saved for retirement in 30,000 shares of Sterling. Now he has a grand total of $1,800 to show for a life of hard work. The people who organized this disaster for us are now the ones getting rich."

Many of the retirees have been hit hard by the company’s unilateral changes in the health care plan. Keith Bailey, a retired instrument technician, said, "Even though I have a medical retirement, I’m denied a drop in rate that, by rights, should come this year," he said. "My costs go from $310 to over $600 per month. They have even divided the retirees into different groups with different rates for their health care coverage."

"We’re not bottles of Coca-Cola where you pop the top, sip on it till it’s half used up and then toss us away," Boudreaux said. "We retirees have come together to help the union in this lockout. We raise money for the local and help with information to explain why the union rejected the company proposal.

"We had our first event, a barbecue here at the union hall, and sold over a thousand plates to people who have heard about our fight. We sold 50 to workers at one chemical plant about 30 miles up the road. It was a lot of work, especially for us retirees. But we had help from a lot of people, even teenagers and younger who were in here working like adults to help us out. It was inspiring. Everyone was together in this--from the kids to the old folks, and Black and white--all working for the same goal."

Boudreaux said teams of retirees are passing out flyers around town "explaining the truth about the lockout." They are starting a phone bank, canvassing door to door, so "everyone in the whole town knows about what’s going on."

While the union and their supporters have been organizing solidarity with the locked-out members, the company reported to the local press that it had contacted the FBI about a bomb threat supposedly called into the chief spokesmen for Sterling and Dow Chemical. Dow workers are members of the same union local as Sterling and are also in the middle of negotiations with the company. The report of the threats resulted in the closure of the Port of Texas City and the rerouting of two ships.

The port closure was the first since 1996, when bomb threats were also called in on the first anniversary of the Oklahoma City bombing. The local newspaper, the Texas City Sun, immediately pointed to the union, stating that the "threatening calls come while Texas City Metal Trades Council members have been locked out at Sterling and the union continues tense contract meetings with Dow."

Union leaders and members were quick to point out the absurdity of the charges explaining that pickets let the company know if they see any problems on the units so they can prevent safety problems. Many also thought it was convenient that both calls were to Dow and Sterling spokesmen, not to the plants themselves.

While negotiations between Sterling Chemical and the union have resumed, no progress has been reported.  
 
 
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