Support builds for striking Teamsters

Members of Teamsters Local 200 in Metro Milwaukee are entering their fourth week on strike against Waste Management over their pension fund and other hard-won gains.

Tom Millonzi, secretary-treasurer of Local 200, told this reporter during a visit to the union hall Sept. 14 that after bargaining in good faith for months with WM, the sanitation workers struck Aug. 24 over an unfair labor practice.

Millonzi said that WM was threatening workers and attempting to coerce and bargain with Local 200 members individually in an effort to supersede the collective bargaining process.

The main strike issues are the company’s intention to gut the workers’ current pension fund with the goal of instituting a 401K-type plan and WM’s manipulation of routes.

The company issued its “last, best and final offer,” Sept. 10 to the Teamsters. (www.jsonline.com, Sept. 11) Currently a federal mediator is meeting with both sides individually and together with no progress up to now.

Waste Management is a multimillion dollar Texas-based Fortune 500 corporation well-known for its hostile anti-union activities. The Teamsters transport the refuse to landfills. It’s a difficult, dangerous and dirty job critical to communities’ health and safety.

In this strike, the company has flown in its “green team” scabs putting them up at a high-priced suburban hotel. And company security goon squads are filming the strikers on the picket line and elsewhere.

Despite this, the workers’ fighting spirit and morale is strong. The workers keep 10 picket lines going daily at major waste and recycling stations throughout Metro Milwaukee.

“If we don’t stand up for our pension for the older workers, we all won’t have anything when we retire,” Joe, a Local 200 member, told WW as he picked up his food donation with dozens of his fellow members.

WM’s actions have caused significant hardship for the strikers and for the cities, villages and municipalities the company operates in. Garbage and recycling is piling up because scab crews are abysmally inefficient and pose numerous safety risks. Thus where WM has contracts with various cities such as Germantown, there are moves by residents to sever contracts with the company due to its anti-union activities which pose numerous risks for residents.

“As a Milwaukee resident I understand how the Teamster workers greatly contribute to the overall health of Metro Milwaukee. Waste Management’s actions are putting residents’ health and safety at risk. I applaud the Teamster’s courage and solidarity as they continue to fight for a fair contract. They need our support,” said Michael Landers, a youth educator who came to the union hall.

Labor/community support for the striking workers is strong according to the union. The week of Sept. 14 Teamster members nationwide are coming to Milwaukee to help broaden support. Strike support activities have included mass leafleting to major community events in the Metro Milwaukee area and a campaign where strike supporters place a sign in their yard.

Support correspondence is also rolling in. Teresa Mambu-Rasch of Milwaukee sent a donation and the following letter: “Please find my donation of $200 enclosed. In December 2006, my grandfather Robert Krantz passed away. He was a lifelong Teamster member out of Philadelphia. He and his brothers and sisters worked hard to provide for their families. I grew up listening to stories of the Teamsters on strike and always knew that my family’s success was due to the hard struggles and victories won on the picket line. A few months ago, my family received his Teamsters death benefit. The amount enclosed represents my portion. I wish the members of Local 200 all the best.”

Donations should be made out to “Teamsters Waste Hauler Fund” and sent to Teamsters Local 200, 6200 Bluemound Road, Milwaukee, WI 53213. Call 414-771-6363 and/or e-mail info@teamsterslocal200.com. Log on to the Web site teamsterslocal200.com, for picketing locations and more information.