DELPHI NEGOTIATIONS Workers rally for support

This is a fight for all middle-class American workers, several speakers said.
By JOHN W. GOODWIN JR.
VINDICATOR TRUMBULL STAFF
WARREN -- Talks between union officials and Delphi executives continue with a March 31 company-imposed cutoff date looming, but union members spent this weekend rallying support and sending their message of solidarity to company officials.
Thousands of union members, community supporters and politicians packed Courthouse Square on Saturday afternoon carrying signs and wearing shirts in support of IUE-CWA Local 717 members.
Yellow shirts with "UAW 1112 [or 1714] support the IUE CWA" on front and "solidarity you could be next" inscribed on the back peppered the crowd. Mixed in with the yellow were red shirts displaying "Our jobs, our dignity."
Those not wearing the shirts carried signs offering support to union members and decrying Republican politicians who union members say have not been supportive to working and middle-class Americans. In the distance, horns could be heard blowing from midmorning to early afternoon in support of the workers.
Worker's view
Sandra Johnson of Warren, a 40-year employee of Delphi, stood dressed in wind-breaker clothing less than 10 feet away from a stage full of union officials and politicians, and held a sign reminding everyone that union members' taxes play a big role in providing community services.
Johnson is nearing retirement and can remember working for Delphi earning little more than $2 per hour under less-comfortable working conditions than those in which she works today. She said the union has fought over the years for benefits and workplace improvements she is not willing to give back.
"I am ready to retire and have worked here many years," she said. "I don't want to lose everything I have."
Johnson knows union members could vote to strike after the March 31 cutoff date for talks with the company, but said she is willing to walk out if that is the decision of her fellow employees. She said any strike would likely be a long one.
"I really hope we don't have to go out on strike, but if we have to, then we have to," she said.
Members of Local 717 will vote on strike authorization March 12. A Packard Electric plant in Clinton, Miss., is slated to hold an authorization vote today. The Mississippi plant has about 1,000 union workers.
Retirees
Robert Kromer of Niles retired from Delphi after 31 years of employment, but is concerned over the potential of losing health-care benefits for retirees. He said the outcome of negotiations with Delphi will have lasting implications for retirees and those nearing retirement age in all fields across the country.
"This is a serious time for labor," he said. "Right now is a crossroads, and it will ripple across the country."
Jim Clark, IUE-CWA president, said the massive turnout, signs, shirts and words of commitment and dedication come back to one issue -- the union's desire to reach an agreement with the company and save jobs and pay rates for its membership.
"[The rally] is important for us. Talks have not progressed the way we want them to progress, and it is in everyone's best interest to come to some sort of an agreement," he said.
Steve Miller, Delphi chairman and chief executive, first proposed cutting production workers' hourly wages from $27 to $9.50 and later revised that offer to $12. Union officials said that offer was rejected as "unacceptable" and the union waits for a new proposal.
Bonuses
Clark said he understands that there will be "pains" as the bankrupt company rebuilds, but said it is important that the pain be shared by both union and management. He said bonuses suggested for executives' performance are an insult to the union and do not make sense for a company fighting through bankruptcy.
Clark said recent proposals by the company would give bonuses to executives and leave union workers in a "living nightmare," struggling to pay mortgages and barely making ends meet.
Some union members took issue with how the company filed bankruptcy. Don Arbogast, Local 717 shop chairman, said the filing was done without consulting the union and simply as a means of getting rid of contractual obligations to union employees. He said union members are not responsible for the company's financial difficulties and must protect the middle-class jobs of its members.
"We will not tolerate our way of life being destroyed. We cannot shoulder the total responsibility," he said.
Political leaders
Larry Cohen, CWA president, said at least part of the responsibility for the company's financial woes, and the financial struggles of companies in similar situations, rest on the shoulders of state and federal politicians. He said the three congressmen joining union officials on stage Saturday -- Tim Ryan, Ted Strickland and Sherrod Brown -- as well as state senators Marc Dann, Sandra Harwood and Bob Hagan are few of the politicians who care about working men and women.
Cohen said coming elections should be a message from Ohio residents that there is a push by the masses to save the middle class.
"We want to say to the people of Ohio that this is all of our fight," he said.
Politicians in attendance encouraged those at the rally to vote for candidates who support union workers. Ryan said President Bush's administration does not understand the plight of the middle class and should be replaced with those who do.
"This whole ordeal is about reuniting the country so we can once again respect the workers of this country," he said. "Let's get this government back to improving the lot and lives of the families in this country."
Strickland's stance
Strickland, who is running for governor, assured union members that should there be a strike, at least one candidate for governor "will be on the picket lines with you."
"We are in this together, and together we will save America and we will work like hell to save your jobs," he said.
Through all the cheers, booing and signs of support, Clark reminded union members what is to be expected in the coming months.
The union will meet with company officials over the next several weeks to iron out an agreement, and if none is reached before the company-imposed March 31 cutoff date, the company will likely file in court to eliminate union contracts. He said the judge will likely set a hearing date for 30 days after that.
If the company is allowed to set aside contracts, Clark warned, a strike may be coming.
jgoodwin@vindy.com