—ON THE PICKET LINE—

Steelworkers at Quebec refinery strike over pension cuts

SALABERRY-DE-VALLEYFIELD, Quebec — Workers on strike against CEZinc refinery here are fighting company demands for steep cuts in their pensions. The 371 members of United Steelworkers Local 6486 walked out Feb. 12 and have kept up picket lines around the clock ever since. The company is co-owned by the Noranda Income Fund and Glencore, a multinational company based in Switzerland.

“The company is reaping a lot of profits,” striker Michel Hudon told the Militant on the picket line March 13. Workers on the line explained that the company got a court injunction limiting picket lines to seven strikers at each gate. Strikers showed Militant reporters how they actively keep the plant under surveillance to make sure CEZinc doesn’t violate Quebec’s anti-scab law, which prohibits companies from hiring replacement workers during strikes.

“We are getting a lot of support from other USW locals and our strike fund will last for the duration,” said Hudon. “Workers from Lafarge Cement who won their strike to defend their pensions have come to show their solidarity with us.”

Alain Croteau, Quebec director of the Steelworkers, told a meeting of 300 strikers March 8 that they would receive regular contributions from the 600 USW locals in Quebec. “When there’s a conflict involving a USW local it’s all Steelworkers who are involved,” he told the meeting. No new negotiations are scheduled between the union and CEZinc.

— Beverly Bernardo

Illinois meatpackers strike for seniority and overtime pay

SAUGET, Ill. — Overtime pay for Saturday work and respect for seniority rights are two key demands by more than 200 meatpackers who went on strike March 18 at the Holten Meat plant in this suburb of St. Louis. Members of United Food and Commercial Workers Local 655 voted 124 to 38 to reject the company’s contract offer and set up picket lines. The plant produces frozen hamburger patties and other meat products.

“We used to work Monday through Friday, but two years ago, the company started splitting our days off,” Otis Lumpkin, who works in the grinding department, told the Militant March 25. “We had a contract. It’s like they threw it away.”

The bosses call their scheduling “quality of life,” forcing workers to take a weekday off and work Saturday without overtime pay during the busy season, workers said. “Yeah, ruin my life so they can improve the quality of theirs,” said Kathy Binder, who works in packaging.

In addition, strikers said night-shift workers who want to bid on a day-shift opening could hardly ever get it. The company’s proposed wage increases would be more than offset by increases in health care costs.

“I’ve never been in a union before, but I can see why it’s important now,” said Terrell Askew, a young production worker who was hired a year ago. “I support the union all the way.”

Strikers also described how they couldn’t get time off when they’re sick or injured. Marta Elena Flores, a quality assurance inspector, said she broke her arm when she fell at work last October. “They took me to the hospital, and I had to have surgery,” she said. “I got an attendance point for leaving work!

“Now if I work for more than five hours, my arm hurts a lot,” she said. “The doctor the company sent me to says I don’t need any restrictions.”

Binder showed the scars on both hands and on her left wrist from repetitive motion injury surgeries. Strikers said such injuries are common in the plant, where bosses have sped up the line. Not having two days off in a row each week aggravates these injuries, they said, because workers don’t have enough time to rest.

The bosses are busing in workers from a temp agency. The company didn’t respond to a request for comment.

— Ilona Gersh and Naomi Craine