Erfolg nach monatelangem Kampf

Nach 14 Wochen sind die ArbeiterInnen bei Stepan in Fieldsboro wieder an die Arbeit gegangen: in einer Urabstimmung hatten sie beinahe einstimmig den neuen betrieblichen Tarifvertrag gebilligt, den die unabhängige Gewerkschaft UE mit ihnen zusammen erkämpft hatte. Ein Tarif der unter anderem die erste Lohnerhöhung seit 2003 bedeutet, Arbeitsplatzsicherung und Bestandssicherung der Gesundheitsverorgung - sowie die Anerkennung der UE als Betriebsgewerkschaft. Die (englische) Pressemitteilung "VICTORY AT STEPAN!" der United Electrical, Radio and Machine Workers of America bereits vom 2. Mai 2006

VICTORY AT STEPAN!

Fieldsboro, NJ, May 2, 2006

After 14 weeks, the workers at the Stepan Co. chemical plant in Fieldsboro are going back to work. They will do so with their heads held high, after fighting off an attempt to bust their union that ultimately backfired on the company. The members of United Electrical, Radio and Machine Workers of America (UE) Local 155 overwhelmingly approved their first union contract today that provides them with their first pay increase since 2003, increases job security, stabilizes their healthcare premiums, and recognizes UE as the bargaining agent for the workers. “We couldn’t have picked a better union,” said Chief Steward Ron McCullough. “They stood by us the whole time, made sure we were taken care of, and kept us strong in the fight. All of the guys are really happy right now.”

“I couldn’t be prouder of the guys,” said UE Dir. of Organization Bob Kingsley. “They did not buckle. They did not cave. When it looked like the company was going to starve them out, they hung tough. They were pushed far enough and they weren’t going to give another inch. Their toughness was rewarded. This is a very proud moment for a very proud union.”

The fight began on January 24, when the company locked the workers out for staging a one-day strike to protest Stepan’s unfair labor practices during bargaining.

The company refused to budge on the workers’ demand for a three-percent pay raise. That strategy proved penny wise and pound foolish, as the workers proved last week at Stepan’s annual shareholders meeting at corporate headquarters in Northfield, Ill., north of Chicago. Using documents produced by the company at an appeals hearing where Stepan opposed the workers´ eligibility for unemployment benefits, UE members showed that Stepan had spent more than $1.8 million above normal operating expenses to run the lock-out, when providing a pay raise would have cost just $70,000 annually.

“That was the turning point,” UE Field Organizer Jim Ermi said. “The documents that were taken to the directors and shareholders told the whole story. Two days later, I got a phone call saying they wanted to talk to us right away.” The two sides met Monday and had a tentative agreement before the close of business. Today the workers voted 33-2 in favor of accepting the agreement, and they’ll be reporting back to work on Thursday, at 8:00 a.m.

“This is a tremendous victory for Local 155, and for UE nationally,” said UE General President John Hovis. “It shows that even when it looks like unions are taking it on the chin everywhere, you can stand up to the boss and win.” “It’s also an incredible show of solidarity,” UE General Secretary-Treasurer Bruce Klipple added. “UE locals around the country passed the hat and put together thousands of dollars to make sure that their union brothers in New Jersey wouldn’t lose their homes, or their cars, or their health coverage in this fight. It was a real-life example that we’re all in this together.”

Ermi also credits numerous other labor, environmental and community groups for their unwavering support and commitment to helping UE Local 155 win this hard-fought struggle. Members of these organizations generously lent their time, resources and financial support to help the locked-out workers´ cause. "We are truly amazed at how many people we had never met made our fight their own," said Steve Cameron, a Stepan employee and a member of the UE Bargaining Committee. "Without them on board, things would have been a lot tougher."

The workers will gather outside the plant gates at 7:30 a.m. on Thursday May 4, and return to work en masse just before 8 a.m., entering the facility together in a show of unity.