Vol. 80/No. 48      December 26, 2016

 

—ON THE PICKET LINE—

Maggie Trowe, Editor

New York State AFL-CIO/Kevin Eitzmann
Momentive strikers, supporters rally in Waterford, New York, during Dec. 13 day of solidarity.
 

Help the Militant cover labor struggles around the world!
This column gives a voice to those engaged in battle and building solidarity today — including strikers at Momentive, California port truckers fighting to be classified as workers, not owners, and United Auto Workers members locked out by Honeywell in Indiana. I invite those involved in workers’ battles to contact me at 306 W. 37th St., 13th Floor, New York, NY 10018; or (212) 244-4899; or themilitant@mac.com. We’ll work together to ensure your story
is told.

— Maggie Trowe

 
 
 

Unionists join in day of solidarity to back NY Momentive strikers

WATERFORD, N.Y. — “This strike has brought us together, made our union stronger,” chemical operator Dian Welch told the Militant during a day of support here Dec. 13 for the strike by members of the International Union of Electrical Workers-Communications Workers of America Local 81359 against Momentive Performance Materials. “Before, I knew the five people in my section,” Welch said. “Now on the picket line we’re getting to know everybody.”

The 700 workers went on strike Nov. 2 after voting down several concession contract offers.

More than 300 strikers and supporters marched from picket lines to nearby Chrome Food and Spirits, an establishment supportive of the strike, as residents shouted support from their porches. Earlier strikers feasted on a donated roast pig at the strike headquarters, and mounted the pig’s head, complete with cigar, on a stick to represent the boss.

Joining the march were members of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, United Steelworkers, Letter Carriers, Carpenters, Verizon workers, family and friends. Members of the New York State Nurses Association stopped by earlier with hats and scarves.

— Candace Wagner

Boss greed leads to landslide death of Turkish copper miners

Miners blame company disregard for safety for the death of 16 copper miners and truck drivers in a landslide Nov. 17 at the Park Elektrik open pit mine in Sirvan, Siirt province, Turkey. The last body was recovered Dec. 12.

Cracks opened three months earlier in a landslide. They were filled with earth and the company resumed production, miners told Cumhuriyet, an Istanbul daily. Miners said they informed management about cracks that hadn’t been filled, but nothing was done.

Company officials didn’t organize rescue teams, attorney Tamer Dogan, who has been working with the miners, told the Militant by phone Dec. 7, so miners organized to search. Later the government disaster agency claimed it had done the work.

After the first landslide, the company rushed the cleanup, in some cases using dynamite instead of earth-moving equipment. Miners told Dogan dynamite is used regularly in mining, a practice they say can provoke landslides.

Two weeks before the disaster, a rock struck and killed miner Fatih Durak.

As they pushed to boost profits, Park Elektrik’s 2016 production goal of 100,000 metric tons was the highest in years, BBC Turkish reported Nov. 24.

— Yasemin Aydinoglu


 
 
Related articles:
Ottawa conference discusses Lac-Mégantic rail disaster
 
 
 
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