The Militant(logo) 
    Vol.62/No.42           November 23, 1998 
 
 
25 And 50 Years Ago  
November 23, 1973
"Reason and logic don't work with the chain stores. We need lots of picket lines to hurt them economically," said Dolores Huerta, United Farm Workers Union vice-president, at a recent news conference in New York City.

In Detroit the UFW has been ordered by a local court to halt all picketing of Boreman's Inc.-owned stores for the next 30 days. Boreman's owns the Farmer Jack supermarket chain of 84 stores in Wayne, Oakland, and Macomb counties. Farmer Jack sells more scab grapes than any other chain of stores in the area.

Some 250 to 300 people had been participating in the picket lines. The UFW is appealing this blatantly illegal restraining order.

In Boston, where picketing has succeeded in getting every major supermarket chain except A&P to stoop selling scab products, the UFW faces a court injunction brought by supermarket chains in the New England area to prevent picketing.

November 22, 1948
NEW YORK, Nov. 16 - Maritime labor's mighty power in action continues to paralyze all East Coast ports and shipping on the seventh day of the AFL International Longshoremen's Association strike.

The strike came at the termination of an 80-day "cooling off" Taft-Hartley injunction imposed last August by the Truman Administration to halt an impending walkout for a 50-cent hourly wage increase, improved vacation benefits and other vital demands.

Under the old contract, the workers had to work 1,350 hours for a week's vacation pay. They are seeking a week's vacation pay for 750 hours and two week's pay for 1,350 hours. The employers are offering a week's vacation pay for 1,250 hours. Other rank-and-file demands call for retroactivity to Aug. 21; increase in the size of the longshore gangs; and a health and welfare fund based on royalties for each ton of cargo handled by the longshoremen.  
 
 
Front page (for this issue) | Home | Text-version home