The end of the Sherwin Williams Machinist Union strike- as explained by DSA

By SJ Otto

The strike against Sherwin Williams, by Machinist Union members from Local 708, in Andover, is over now. The employees have already gone back to work. They got a 10 percent increase in pay. They got an increase in their health insurance. But at the monthly Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) meeting, it was explained to us that the strike was actually an unfair labor practice dispute rather than an economic strike.

The main reason for the strike was a need for safety representatives. They did get some economic gains from the strike, but the main reason for it was actually for safety problems.  There was no place for the average worker to lodge a complaint.

Some other details of the strike are that the workers can now shower before they leave and on company time. Before the strike workers had to drive home with paint and dangerous chemicals all over them.

We all discussed the importance of not crossing the picket line during a strike. At times there are sympathy strikes by other unions, on such things as trucking. Even the guy who came in to cut the grass is encouraged not to cross over the picket line. The trucks that bring lunches in to the workers could also refuse to cross the picket line.

At this point I am reminiscing the time I was taking part in the Stokely-Van Camp strike, in Lawrence, KS, in 1980.

In earlier times unions could be pretty vigilant against those who cross the picket line. I can remember a strike I too part in, People who crossed the picket line often got their car or vehicle vandalized. I knew a young woman who drove her car to a cab company and took the cab to work, across the picket line. When she got back that night, all her tires were slashed.

There was this gung-ho redneck who was a foreman in the plant. He proudly drove over the picket line every day. One day vandals threw grease all over the inside of his truck. All the inside seats, all the steering equipment and the entire inside was drenched in oil. His truck was badly damaged.

Speakers from DSA said the unions no longer do those things any more. For me personally, I miss those days. When someone offended us there was retribution. I don’t regret those earlier times. But some times I just have to go along with the groups as they have canged. I can reminisce, but I have to go along with the times.

It was announced that we may see some strikes around January. We don’t know that for sure, but some union people have leaked that some union members may be vulnerable to loosing their yearly bonuses. Those are a significant loss.

The idea of turning over conservative laws, that have been passed over the last 30

years ago, to weaken unions was brought up at the meeting. The Taft Hardy Act was discussed. The answer to that is that there are no easy answers to changing union Laws.

We all discussed a book many of us will be reading and discussing called Joyful Militancy, Building Thriving Resistance to Toxic Times, by Carla Bergman, Nick Montgomery and Hari Alluri.

The book looks at the concepts of Happiness under capitalism and the concept of Joy. We read from an excerpt called Happiness is bullshit. A lot of it reminded me of the writings I’ve done on advertising.

It was reported that a meeting for those interested in prison pen pals, an event organized by a Kansas City DSA chapter was broken up by members of a Maoist group from Kansas City, MO. DSA activist offered to let the Maoists address the crowed, but they refused to speak to the group. They were destructive and they attacked the people in attendance. They threw DSA pamphlets all around the floor and just disrupted the meeting in generals. They physically beat up an old veteran speaker who was invited to the meeting.