[1857] in peace2
NECCO machinists on strike!
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Julia Steinberger)
Tue Aug 27 13:17:51 2002
Message-Id: <200208271717.NAA28835@magic-pi-ball.mit.edu>
To: peace-announce@MIT.EDU
Date: Tue, 27 Aug 2002 13:17:36 -0400
From: Julia Steinberger <julias@MIT.EDU>
NECCO factory machinists in Cambridge are striking for better health
care. They need our support!
NECCO factory machinists are striking for improvements in their
contract, especially with respect to health care. As the current
contract stands, health care fees would be ramped up to $150/week
within the next two years. This is without dental insurance. Moreover
workers would still not be allowed to have sick days. Some of the
machinists mentioned a colleague who was injured at work. He and his
wife are both too ill to work, but he must pay more than $600/month to
maintain his health insurance.
The strikers need our solidarity and help on the picket line. NECCO is
very easy to find, between Central Square in Cambridge and MIT, right
on Mass Ave, a 5 minute walk from the Red line stop in Central
Square. They need help especially in the mornings, from 5-8 AM, and at
shift change from 3-6 PM. Bring your own sign, or carry one of theirs!
The striking machinists are very friendly and welcoming, and it is
well worth the time to hear their views and stories.
The union of the machinists is the International Association of
Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAMAWA). Most workers at NECCO
belong to another unions (a baker's and confectioner's union whose
name I can't recall). These workers are most often minorities or
immigrants whose first language is not English. These workers' union
is not very strong, and sees no problem with crossing the picket line
of the machinists, even though they get paid less on average, and the
same health care fees and conditions would apply to them.
Although NECCO is not allowed by law to run the boilers without
engineers present for more than 7 days, this is day 9 of the strike,
and the boilers are back on since yesterday. NECCO is lying to the
State officials about the safety of their running the boilers without
the normal trained personel, and is also somehow smuggling in scab
machinists to keep the boilers on.
The NECCO (New England Confectionary Company) factory in Cambridge is
one of the oldest still functioning factories in the Boston
area. NECCO is scheduled to move out of Cambridge this winter, to a
new location in Revere. Many layoffs are expected. A pre-existing
plant in Revere is not unionized. Although negotiations are happening
today, the machinists are not hopeful, and expect the strike to
continue. They say they will follow NECCO to Revere if need be.
Although the union solidarity within the NECCO plant is not great, the
strikers say that many workers from other unions have refused to cross
the picket lines, including UPS Teamsters, and other delivery people.
