Battling Hacks & Bosses: Auto Workers Strike

By VVAW

On September 15, over 170,000 auto workers struck Ford Motor Company in 23 States across the country. After 4 weeks the strike was still growing day by day, not only at Ford plants but also gaining support from auto workers at General Motors, Chrysler, and American Motors. Contrary to Ford's and to Leonard Woodcock's (sellout leader of the international Union of United Auto Workers) plans, the strikers continued to deepen the contract struggle and not simply "cool their heels" or give in to the itch to return to work.

The rank and file union members are angry and this anger has been building for months--in fact, for years--over speedup on the job, layoffs, combining jobs, harassment, forced overtime and other attacks that have resulted in a loss of 100,000 jobs in the auto industry over the past three years. Now, Ford Motor Company is proposing another contract which will only increase these attacks. The Company is proposing another contract with will only increase these attacks. The Company proposals include: (1) Only a 3% wage increase (2) Starting pay for workers to be $1 less per hour, very few benefits, and full pay benefits coming only after a full year's employment (3) Taking away part of the hard-won cost of living adjustment (COLA) in order to extend dental care for retirees and no COLA on pensions (4) Dental coverage reduced, emergency room coverage modified (5) rules requiring everyone to work the day before and the day after all holidays in order to be paid and tightening of rules for loss of vacation time due to missing work.

The Ford rank and file are saying that the company can take these rules and shove them. And they know from experience that the rank and file will have to do the shoving, too. For months before the strike, the Union, represented nationally by Leonard Woodcock, was carrying on some kind of strange talks that Woodcock called "the most peaceful negotiations ever," while stating there was "no issues for the workers to get excited about." He's changed his tune recently, particularly in the face of militant walkouts and the growing anger of Ford workers all over the country.

The rank and file workers have learned through bitter years of struggle with the large auto companies and sellout union officials that they have to rely on themselves in their fight for a decent way of life is to advance. The rank and file organization called Auto Workers United to Fight in '76 (AWUF) has had a significant impact on the fight for a good contract against Ford. Formed in the Detroit area last spring, AWUF held a demonstration and two-day conference in the Detroit in the middle of August to gear up for the coming contract fight. The demonstration of 100 auto workers in front of the UAW International Headquarters answered sharply the lies about how auto workers were too scared to right and put forward the real demands of the rank and file.

The two-day conference that followed the demonstration was attended by representatives from 19 different chapters of AWUF as well as many individual fighters, about 90 in all. Determined to reject any sellout by the International Union and to build their strength before the strike, the AWUF put out a list of demands that have become the banner of auto workers across the US. They are:

*Full sub benefits--no cutoffs!
*Defend and Extend our right to strike over speedup and all grievances.
*No more forced overtime. No overtime at all in plants where workers are on layoff.
*An improved COLA and an across-the-board wage increase.
*30 and out (auto workers retirement plan must be made a reality by having full cost of living on pensions!)
*Improved seniority and job rights.

On September 14th the strike began early with walkouts and demonstration in some plants. Early walkouts were at Ford plants in Chicago and Mahwah, New Jersey, Cleveland, Ohio, and at the Dearborn Stamping Plant in the River Rough complex near Detroit. The strike grew daily as more union locals around the country battled to shut Ford down entirely. Major strikes activities occurred in Detroit, Chicago, Avon Lake (Ohio), Ford Fairfax (near Cincinnati) Atlanta Georgia, and many other places totaling over 120 Union locals out on strike.

In a statement to all auto workers and the American public, AWUF said; "What happens at Ford is important to all auto workers and now is definitely not the time for GM, Chrysler, and AMC workers to sit back and wait for their own expiration dates to come. The stronger the Ford strike is, the stronger the workers at GM, Chrysler, and other auto industries will be.

"The rank and file actions that kicked off the Ford strike, over Woodcock's objections and the efforts of his henchmen to stop them, are a good start at shattering this 'phony' labor peace. They show the sentiments of hundreds of thousands of auto workers, and millions of working people throughout the country for a real fight to advance our real interests. They show that we are not isolated and powerless, that they don't have everything 'all locked up.' And they show what we need a lot more of, in the days ahead and in the battles of the future.

"Nobody's going to stick up for us but ourselves. We, the rank of file and the union, not those bloated toads like Woodcock, bargaining away our lives and livelihoods in exchange for their plush positions. So let's get united as the rank and file, and get down to business."

Auto Workers United to Fight in '76 encourages all auto workers who agree with their statement and demands, and who want to build the fight around the contract to call them; their national headquarters is in Detroit. Call (313) 893-8350.