IT COULD HAVE BEEN WON

©

© 1993 by Labor Beat
Published 1993 Labor Beat

transcript of portions of the video

How many folks remember back in July of this year when this contract struggle was over two years old? The Staley company presented these workers an offer that was rejected by 56% of the people. I think that was nationwide news for those that were following the Staley struggle. That offer was rejected by 56 % of the people. Now think about that. That offer, that struggle at that point was over two years old. For two years workers were in a lockout strike situation. How may of us, who are members of a union, can say that after two weeks, two months, three months, that we can hold our members in a struggle, like a strike. These folks did it for over two years and were presented an offer by a corporation that they expected to get accepted and it was rejected.

Now, the national UPIU leadership expected it to be accepted as well. If it had been accepted at that point, it was an easy way to resolve a struggle that they had no intentions from the word go to win, because they don't know how to win. And what they have as a strategy is no different than the national AFL/CIO. And that is, they do not know how to win.

A labor organization in this country today in the only line of defense that working people have against the corporate attacks that American corporations are waging against us. There is no other organization. It's the trade unions. But when the trade unions do not have the leadership and do not develop the muscle within the ranks of its members to take a stand, then what takes place? Defeat after defeat after defeat.

Now most of these defeats are then told in "their" periodicals (showing the AFL/CIO & UPIU newsletters), their version of history. What we learn from that is basically that the workers decided to pull the plug on the struggle. Well we know better in this case. Tonight we're here because these folks have a message that has to be heard and its not just a message for the United Paper Workers International Union rank-and-file. It is a message that has to be heard throughout the entire labor movement. That a change has got to develop and that development of change has got to occur from the bottom up. Otherwise what we are witnessing and seeing is the dismantling of those labor organizations as a front line defense against the attacks of corporate America. Unless something is done to change that, these defeats will continue on and on and on to the point what you have today isn't even close to what it was yesterday, a shell of an organization.

This struggle was not won by the Staley company and it was not lost by local 7837. It was the betrayal of Wayne Glen of the United Paper Workers International Union, of his staff and of rank-and-file from our within own ranks that betrayed us in this fight. That is how we lost it. Make no mistake about it. I have no regard for the leadership of that international union. But, I wouldn't care if I was a boilermaker or a tinner. It doesn't make any difference. It is business unionism folks at its best. Labor will not lose the battle of America because of the employers. They will lose it because of poor leadership, because of lack of direction and lack of strategy. And that's where we're at today. And if that's not enough to make us lose, look beyond that. There's been a deal cut out there and a lot of you will shake your head no. But I've seen it. It's never a smoking gun, I've seen it, that says, "we'll go along with the boss. We'll allow you to roll back wages and working conditions. You can make us a third world nation along with the rest. We can become part of the global world order. We'll let that happen, Mr. Employer, if you just don't beat us to death.

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