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Chrysler Wildcats

By VVAW

On September 14, 127,500 United Auto Workers members went on strike against Chrysler because the corporation refused to meet the bargaining demands of the union. The UAW is demanding higher wages, retirement after 30 years service, voluntary overtime and a fully paid dental plan. But the important thing about the Chrysler strike is the fact that the workers have begun taking militant action on their own without the support of the UAW leadership. Since the end of July, Chrysler plant workers have conducted 3 wildcat strikes in response to the medieval safety and health conditions of the plants, the work speed-ups, and the racism among plant management -- all issues which are basic to their existence and should take precedent over dental plans.

The first wildcat action occurred in the Jefferson Chrysler Plant in Detroit when workers' demands that a racist metal shop supervisor, Tom Woosley, be fired were ignored. A petition calling for Woosley's dismissal had been circulated throughout the department and 214 of the 300 workers had signed the petition. The petition was disregarded by the plant management. Because of this unresponsive act, the workers decided to take things into their own hands. On July 24th, Larry Carter and Isaac Shorter locked themselves into a power plant cage and cut off all power to a body shop conveyor, bringing the entire assembly line to a standstill for 13 hours and costing Chrysler nearly $5,000,000.

This wildcat action had the support of nearly all of the metal department employees. Workers outside the cage gathered chains and equipment to secure the cage and they stood guard, protecting Shorter and Carter from the plant management who were trying to forcibly remove them from their bargaining position. Though 280 of the 300 metal shop employees are black, both black and white, young and old united in support of the cage occupation. After 13 hours, management agreed to fire Woosley, admitting that he had furthered racist practices in his department. But as Shorter and Carter have since stated: "They fired Woosley only because we had control of that line. If we hadn't had the power they would never have fired him." Shorter and Carter have also stated that Woosley himself was not the problem, but that many department supervisors are guided by racism in their practice and this practice is condone by the company. The Jefferson wildcat action may be viewed as a victory. Chrysler did bow to the workers who had united and ceased production.

Less than two weeks later, on August 8th, workers led a six day walkout at the Dodge Forge plant in Detroit. This action was taken to protest the firing of 16 fellow workers who had been vocal in exposing the plant's health and safety conditions. Workers stated that in one week alone, the plant's working conditions had resulting in the crippling of two workers -- one had an arm torn off and one had a finger crushed. Also, 60% of the work force had been working a seven-day week for six months with no time off. The walkout ended when the UAW finally agreed to inspect the health and safety conditions in all of the 22 Detroit Chrysler plants.

A week later, August 14th, workers held a 30-hour sit-down strike to protest the working conditions at the Mack Avenue Frame plant. This action was sparked by the firing of William Gilbreth, a white worker who had been vocal in protesting the plant safety conditions. After his firing, Gilbreth returned to work and took his place on the assembly line. A guard tired to remove him but the 200 workers in his department protested and occupied a conveyor belt, halting all production. The plant was ordered to close, but these 200 people remained, saying they would stay until working conditions were improved and six workers reinstated who were recently fired. Support for this wildcat strike was widespread. Workers from the plant's different shifts began picketing outside and the people involved in the strike actions at the Jefferson and Dodge Forge plants brought food and blankets to the Mack Avenue strikers. The sit-down ended when Detroit police moved in on the plant with tear gas and arrested 15 wildcatters. Workers tried to continue the picket line on August 16th, but were dispersed by guards and UAW officials. As one of the strikers stated: "We have had three people killed in this plant since the first of the year. There isn't a week goes by that someone isn't injured, loses fingers. No one does anything about it so we chose this way of dramatizing our problems."

All of these wildcat actions have been condemned by the UAW leadership who labeled the strikers as "radicals and extremists." But the workers have come to realize that the UAW, as it is now run, will not be responsive to their basic needs nor concerned with their safety. All of these strikes are examples of the increased militancy among American workers who have been forced to take action on their own. Plant seizures will surely continue until the unsafe working conditions are improved, forced overtime and speed-ups are stopped, and the workers are given an effective means of airing their complaints. The major corporations are bleeding increased profits from their employees while the workers receive less than life-sustaining wages. The only option which is then left to the workers is to unite, organize and struggle until they finally have some control over their lives.

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