In my humble opinion, the various parties involved in this outrage picked a fight with the wrong union to pick a fight with--and--they will pay out the ass and the nose for their actions.
A little closer to home. WCPN fm a high power NPR station put a "there is no alternative" spin on the AK/Armco lockout. That the Steelworkers should just give up in the dispute with AK/Armco. WCPN didn't mention the almost 30 years of labor peace that AK/Armco enjoyed prior to the lockout. And even worse WCPN didn't mention the use by AK/Armco of paramilitary security thugs! Or the ruling by federal judge Manos overturning the Mansfield ordinance requiring security guards to register with the city. Name a municipality that doesn't require plumbers, electricians, bug-killers, you name it from registering with the city they are working in.
Tom Lehman
Mark Rickling wrote:
> Anyone catch this???
>
> mark
>
> > > (1/28) at 10:00 PM EST, the ABC news magazine 20/20 will
> > > >feature the story of Gary McClain, an employee of a Tenneco packaging
> > > >plant in Beach Island, SC who was handcuffed, detained, drugged, and
> > > >involuntarily committed to a mental institution. His crime? Trying to
> > > >form a union.
> > > >
> > > >This case represents an extreme example of something that happens every
> > > >day all across the country - employers interfering with their workers'
> > > >freedom to choose a union.
> > > >
> > > >Here's the story ABC News says it will tell.
> > > >
> > > >Last year Mr. McClain, a 17-year employee with no history of violence
> > > >on the job and no criminal record, joined together with co-workers in
> an
> > > >effort to form a union affiliated with the International Union of
> > > >Operating Engineers. In July, at a mandatory anti-union meeting called
> > > >by Tenneco management, Mr. McClain challenged his plant manager to
> allow
> > > >workers to hear the pro-union side of the story. The very next day,
> > > >Tenneco contacted the county sherriff's department, which sent a SWAT
> > > >team to Mr. McClain's home to haul him into an emergency room, where he
> > > >was drugged, involuntarily admitted to a mental institution, and held
> > > >for two weeks until a judge released him.
> > > >
> > > >You can check out ABC's 20/20 website at:
> > > >
> > > >http://abcnews.go.com/onair/2020/2020Index.html