Locked out workers from Cooper and the American Crystal Sugar Co. will be conducting a road trip from Fargo, N.D. to Findlay “to focus attention on the most recent wave of greed-motivated corporate attacks on workers and their unions,” says USW spokesman Tony Montana.
Members of the USW and BCTGM will travel more than 1,000 miles through six states in six days, participating in rallies, fundraisers and direct actions with local union members and allies along the way.
The Journey for Justice begins Feb. 22 with a rally in Fargo, making stops in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois and Indiana before concluding Feb. 27 in Findlay.
Cooper locked out more than 1,000 workers at the Findlay plant in November of last year. More than six months ago, American Crystal locked out its entire union workforce of some 1,300 sugar beet workers from seven facilities in Minnesota, North Dakota and Iowa despite making record profits over the past three years, according to Montana.
“In recent months, thousands of workers throughout North America have been locked out of their jobs at Caterpillar, Rio Tinto Alcan, HealthBridge and elsewhere as employers try to drive wages and benefits down so that corporate executives can continue to enjoy bonuses and other compensation worth millions of dollars,” he says.
Specific events along the Journey for Justice route will be announced at the
campaign’s blog.
Workers will be using a variety of social media to get their message out, including Twitter and Facebook. Supporters will be able to attend events in the Twin Cities; Madison, Wis.; Chicago; and Ft. Wayne, Ind. There will be opportunities for supporters not along the route to participate in what organizers hope will be “a highly interactive week of solidarity building among working people.”For more information, visit www.usw.org.
