An Action in Utah
An attempt by management to intimidate workers
trying to organize
This is a story from 2004 not 1904. Here at the
Voice@Work conference held in conjunction with the National Conference of State
Legislatures. We had terrific sessions on the right to organize, health care,
pensions, all the things that we do a s a labor movement. And is often the case
we are asked to assist our host State Fed or Central Labor Council, or an
affiliate. This time it was all three. There is a mine here in Utah that is
trying to cast off the company union and organize into the United Mineworkers of
America. So we went to the company headquarters and set up a picket line/ rally.
All legal we had the appropriate permits, as soon as we got there a car pulls up
with a guy in it and starts taking pictures. At first we thought it might be the
press so we crossed the street and asked. No he was a lawyer and photographer
for the Kingstons, the owners of the mine. So we left and he kept taking
pictures. Next thing we know someone comes out of the headquarters with a camera
and starts taking pictures.
So we ask
who he is and he won't tell us. Turns out he is one of the Kingstons. So for a
while he takes pictures, we start asking questions. The next thing I know he has
two of his wives come out to talk to us. Two wives you say, yes this Utah and
polygamy is still tolerated. Then we find out that this Kingston had gone to
jail for beating up his 16 year old daughter. He wanted her to marry her Uncle,
when she refused he beat her so severely that she almost died. He did 26 weeks
in jail. It's probably a good thing we didn't know that while he was still
outside taking pictures.
So we marched
and got good news coverage for our brothers and sisters in Utah, and we wish
them luck and let them know that they had support from the entire labor
movement.
Posted: Mon - July 19, 2004 at 01:10 AM