activist issue 38

7/30/2019 Activist Issue 38

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As we publish this issue of theActivist, Tesco drivers in Doncasterare about to embark on anindefinite strike after the failure offurther negotiations. In this article aformer Tesco worker looks at thebackground of the dispute andwhat USDAW members can do tohelp.

In one of the biggest disputesinvolving Tesco workers in thelast decade, 182 drivers went onstrike for three days on the 31stof October following a successfuland well-supported strike on the9th. Calously in the run-up toChristmas, also the busiest timeof the year for Tesco stores, thedrivers were handed 90 daynotices of redundancy. The

distribution contract wastransferred over to EddieStobbart Ltd in August withthe loss of the workerspension schemes andother benefits.

To add insult to injury theythen handed out thenotices with no guaranteeof re-employement at the

end. The new contractswill have them working on

2.50 less an hour. A strike ballotwas called and 91.7% of theUnite-organised drivers voted tocome out. The naked greed ofTesco has yet again been laidbare. With their 3.8 billion profitlast year, similar profitsr e g i s t e r e d t h r o u g h o u tthe recession and with top

executives on 1.6million each,Tesco has clearly done a back-room deal with Eddie Stobbartst o t e a r u p t h e T U P Eagreement thereby attempting toleave their loyal workforce on thescrap-heap.

The local support of the strikersa n d t h e d i s r u p t i o ncaused through the Yorkshire and

Humbershide region duringthis strike has shown thepotential to make ESL backdown. It was clearthat despite their claimsthey dont have the sparecapacity within their existingworkforce to carry out thedeliveries performed by theTesco drivers. This wasevident by the fact that they

had to employ a scab firm,Taylors, during the strike.

Usdaw members will have

been watching this disputeclosely, with similar crimes takingplace within distribution fordecades. Unite has so far playeda decent role in backing theirdrivers and certainly JohnHannett and his cronies can takea leaf out of their book when itcomes to defending his ownmembers. Usdaw members arejust as angry about the cuts and

pay-caps as Unite members, weneed to force our leadership tostand firm and defend retail anddistribution workers nation-wide.

The Activist calls on Usdawmembers to raise the strike intheir Usdaw branch meetings. Wecall on members to supportthe drivers by sending messagesof support to Trevor Cheetham c/

o [email protected]( S e n d c o p i e s t [email protected])

There have been a number ofprotests outside Tesco storestaking place and we call forbranches to organise similarsupport. There was also a protestin Westminster on the 31st andmore the following week. The

National Shop Stewards Network,which the Activist supports, tookpart. Unite will provide leafletsand placards to anyone wishingto organise a protest outside theirlocal Tesco, email Paul Davies([email protected] Sector National Organiser)with details of which Tesco youintend to protest outside, howmany you expect there and

include your mobile number. Alsolet the Activist know so we canreport on your protest.

Support the Tesco Drivers Strike!

Find out more: usdawactivist.wordpress.com / [email protected] / Facebook: Usdaw Activist

the ActivistIssue 38

December 2012

Bulletin of Socialist Party members in

Earlier this year, lobbying by the NSSNsaw the TUC Congress pass a resolutionlooking at the practicalities of a generalstrike, despite the opposition of moreright-wing unions such as USDAW.

The NSSN is now following this up byputting pressure on the TUC to make

good its congress pledge by lobbying the

General Council meeting at CongressHouse on Tuesday 11th December from8.30am. We urge any Activist supporters

able to attend to do so.

www.shopstewards.net


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Usdaw in the Economist

Most USDAW members probably dontread the Economist. But in the 1stDecember issue the union receivedfulsome praise, regarding i ts

partnership deal with Tesco as amodel of union-management concord.This is the same partnership deal thatTesco, one of the most profitablecompanies in the country, haveunilaterally ignored on a number ofoccasions this year over pension age,bonus payments amongst others.

Of course the Economist wants topromote a case of workers gettingscrewed over by the bosses as

something other than it is, it is an ultra-free market magazine which supportsthe governments austerity measuresand is no friend of trade unionists and

ordinary workers.

Interestingly, the article contrasts thetimid leadership of USDAW with therumours that PCS and Unite couldmerge in the future, fearing thecountrys biggest trade union having amilitant union leadership that has seenthe government make concessionsover the summer and has been one of

the champions of the successful callfor a 24 hour general strike at theTUC. PCS is a left-led union, withSocialist Party members a major partof that if only retail workers couldhave a union leadership like that

Dave Ingham

A Fighting Programme for Usdaw

When I stood as a candidate for the

general secretary of Usdaw, one of thekey issue that I challenged JohnHannett on was the need to develop aprogramme to challenge the coming

attacks. I argued because of theworlds economic crisis that the tradeunions needed to adopt new tactics.

The point I was making is wellillustrated by the general secretaryscolumn in the summer issue of Arena.Under the title, The Coalition just

wont listen Hannett bemoans, Wewarned the Government that cutting

working tax credits, raising VAT, andcutting taxes for millionaires was justplain wrong, but the out-of-touchCoalition took no notice.

John that was the exact point I wasmaking. They wont take no notice ofUsdaw. Unless we make them listen.

The article correctly explains that, ourmembers are being battered withhigher prices, low wage rises, and the

treat posed by mass unemployment.The question is what is to be done.John your article provides no answers.

As a union we are invisible.

Bulletin of Socialist Party members in USDAW


Vion - Proof We Need a Fighting LeadershipThere has been a hugedecimation of Scottish foodmanufacturing this autumn, and

Usdaw members have bornethe brunt.

A Scottish USDAW member

Both the Halls of Broxburnfactory in West Lothian and theFreshlink foods factory inShettleston have closed with theloss of over 1,850 jobs within amatter of months.

On the 16th of October the newssection of the USDAW websitereported Usdaw bitterlydisappointed as no crediblebuyers found for Halls. Thefactory was closing after a 90day consultation period betweenthe parent company Vion,Usdaw and the Scottishgovernment, sealing the fate of1,700 manufacturing jobs.

What wasnt reported was thatduring this 90 day process, theArea Organiser concerned

wanted to take a delegation ofworkers over to the Netherlandsto protest at Vions head office.This would have enabled theseworkers to have their demandsh e a r d b y t h e r e m o t emanagement who are makingdecisions that are affectingthousands of members lives.The response from thebureaucrats at head office was

that since Usdaw representsmembers in other subsidiariesof this company then theyshouldnt go over and rock theboat.

Then on 19th of November thesame section of the websitereported -

Dutch food manufacturer Vionhas announced its intention to

sell all of its UK foodbusinesses, creating uncertaintyfor 13,000 employees who work

at the companys 38 UK sites.

Now that Vion are withdrawingfrom the UK and there is noboat to rock, whoever held backthese workers should hang theirheads in shame. Members arebeing prevented from organisingto protect their jobs in order toprotect agreements withemployers who are only

interested in a subduedworkforce. The whole approachunder John Hannett, ofprotecting agreements andhoping things will get betterunder Labour is a dead end. Weas members have to claim backour union from the bureaucracy,and demand that this wholefiasco be investigated and thefacts be fully reported to themembership.

Mailbag


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As a union we should mobilise for theTUCs demo on 20 October whichshould be the launch for a whole

series of actions including a 24-hourgeneral strike. Lets match the Toriesdetermination to make us pay andtake the fight to them.

Cameron has declared he expects usto face his austerity attacks foranother 10 years. The poor arepaying while the top 1% get richer andricher.

Usdaw is encouraging us all to join theLabour party whose answer is to haveless cuts now but have them in thefuture. The three major parties and

along with Usdaw leaders advocatecuts.The Activist and the Socialist Partyadvocates a different solution. If thesystem does not work then replace thesystem. The only answer is to remove

the greed of individual gain andreplace it with a method were theresources are used to benefit all of us.

Robbie Segal



Mailbag (cont.)

Black Friday Strikes Across WalmartWalmart stores across the US sawfurther protests and staff striking onso called Black Friday, 23rd

November. This is the secondissue of the Activist in a row tofeature articles on this issue whichwe suspect many UK retail workersare unaware of. But we do so,because we think these actionsraise important questions of how toorganise militant trade unionism inthe retail sector, questions thatwould need addressing if retailworkers were to participate in ageneral strike in the UK. We

encourage readers of the Activist tocontribute to the Activist with theirthoughts on these issues. Wereproduce below a further articlefrom the website of SocialistAlternative, US sister party of theSocialist Party.

When you think of the manythings wrong with 21st centuryU.S. capitalism - low wages, dead

-end jobs, bosses dictatorshipand the super-exploitation ofAsian workers to make cheapproducts for sale to impoverishedworkers here - one companyalmost always comes to mind:Walmart. At $8.90 an hour for theaverage associate, Walmartpays some of the lowest wages inthe U.S. while employing a largershare of U.S. workers than anyother private company.

Perhaps because of this, it findsmillions of dollars every year to

spend on vicious anti-unionlawsuits and worker intimidationprograms. Throughout its 50-year

history, Walmart has remainedunion- and strike-free, providing abastion of the open shop forpost-1970s, neoliberal America.But in recent months, this hasstarted to change. Walmartworkers are beginning to stand upfor their rights.

Largest Actions against

Walmart on Black Friday

On November 23, Black Friday,t h e l a r g e s t w a v e o f demonstrations and walkoutsever to hit Walmart took place.The actions were led by OURWalmart (Organization United forRespect at Walmart), anorganization of Walmart workersset up by the United Food andCommercial Workers (UFCW)

union. OUR Walmart has grownto thousands of members in morethan 40 states by campaigningagainst the brutal conditionsworkers face and using thelimited rights non-union workershave. This includes the right tocollectively organize and strikeover working conditions andretaliation by management.

A small but heroic number ofWalmart workers have sincetaken the bold step of walking offthe job. Following the historic

strikes at Walmart warehouses inI l l inois and California inSeptember - and numerous

rolling strikes of small numbers ofworkers at stores throughoutOctober on Black Friday, up to1,000 of the companys stores in46 states were picketed,disrupted or struck. The vastmajority of actions involved asingle worker walking out of workin protest. But in Paramount,California, as many as 19 workerstook strike action.

In Secaucus, New Jersey, 400Occupy and union activistspicketed in front of a combinedWalmart/Sams Club complex forthree hours, flagging downcarloads of customers as theyentered and getting strongsupport. Socialist Alternativemembers participated in theactions. We also went in the

store. Using a flash-mob tacticthats hard for managers topredict or control, groups ofactivists gathered throughout thestore at exactly 1:30 and calledout Occupy-style mic checks,highlighting the embarrassinglylow wages Walmart pays,standing for the need for an endto anti-union terror, and calling onworkers to join the campaign todefend their rights.

We passed out information toworkers and customers - many of


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whom were amused andsupportive - and then split up toavoid the anxious managers andsecurity guards roaming the floorand pushing mic-checkers out thedoor. Once outside, we staged a

rally in front of the main entrancefor a good half hour before localcops pushed us back, sending uson a loud and winding marchthrough the massive Walmartparking lot.

Unions Pursue New StrategyActions like this took place acrossthe country. They consisted notonly of Walmart workers and

OUR Walmart staffers, but ofmany community activists whosimply wanted to take a shot att h e d o m i n a n t l o w - w a g ecorporation. They broadcastedthe plight of Walmart workers andthe need for change to a largenumber of customers and helpedsupport the 100-plus Walmartemployees already on strike sinceSeptember. What these actions

didnt do, it seems, wasnegatively affect the companysbottom line. Walmart - of course -claims the protests had littleimpact, but less biased sources,like The Huffington Post, alsoreported minimal detraction fromshopping. At this stage of thegame, however, it is arguable thatdirect economic damage is notthe primary goal. Far moreimportant is the confidence thatworkers are gaining by standingup for their rights in Walmartworkplaces.

Having tried unsuccessfully forover a decade to organizeWalmart stores, the United Foodand Commercia l Workers(UFCW) - Americas largest retailunion - is clearly pursuing a newstrategy. U.S. labor law and

employers vicious anti-unionismmake the chances for organizinga union and winning a first

contract at any given workplaceaccording to official rules lessthan 1 in 4 - and probably muchlower if campaigns are countedthat withdraw before elections. Atspread-out service firms likeWalmart - or McDonalds, Target,Taco Bell, Home Depot, etc. - it iseven harder to organize lastingunions on this model, sincesuccessful campaigns can be metwith store closings due to therelatively low cost of investmentin any given outlet.

Given this environment, it isunsurprising that ten years ofsporadic UFCW campaigns haveyielded a big fat zero on themembership charts. Organizingretail - and low-wage service jobsgenerally - requires going beyondthe narrow and ineffectivechannel otherwise known as theNational Labor Relations Board(NLRB).

New Organiz ing FormsOne way to break out of thiscorral is to build associationalpower outside the workplace.This can happen either through

the fo rma t ion o f open-m e m b e r s h i p w o r k e r organizations, like OUR Walmart,

or the mobilization of socialjustice, anti-racist, and immigrantrights groups along with othercommunity support networks, aswas the case in the famousJustice for Janitors campaigns inthe 1990s and many smallercampaigns since.

The UFCW has clearly learnedfrom these efforts and from thehundreds of open-membershipworkers centers sprouting uparound the country. In 2011 itfounded OUR Walmart as aseparate organization that anyWalmart worker can join. OURWalmart is not legally a union: Itcannot, for example, bargain withthe company over wages andworking conditions. What it cando, however, is educate workersabout the limited rights they canuse and provide workers with anorganizing umbrella for ongoingcampaigns that may result informal unionization, as severalsmaller efforts by the similarlynon-union - but union-affiliated -Retail Action Project have alreadydone in New York City.

Another way to break the NLRBdeadlock is through the flexing ofkey workers structural power in


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the supply chain. The success ofWalmart and other big-box firmsis largely a function of theircentralized and sophisticatedlogistics systems. Store-levelinventories are replenished

through just-in-time deliveriesfrom regional distribution centers,which in turn depend onshipments from huge nationaltransport hubs in the LosAngeles, Chicago, and New Yorkmetro areas. Many of thesewarehouse workers are notemployed directly by Walmart, butby multiple layers of shadysubcontractors that exercise the

most brutal - and blatantly illegal -forms of labor exploitation onpredominantly immigrant workers.

But it is precisely these workers,in contrast to their store-levelcounterparts, who could shutdown big portions of the companythrough concerted strike action -not unlike the sit-down strikers inFlint, Michigan who brought GM

to a screeching halt in the winterof 1937. Crucially, the UFCW hasbegun to build this form of workerpower in its campaign againstWalmart: Warehouse workers atthe Los Angeles and Chicago-area transport hubs courageouslywalked out in September topro tes t inhuman work ingconditions.

These were not random,spontaneous actions, but theproducts of several yearsorganizing by immigrant workerswith the help of local workerscenters: Warehouse WorkersUnited (WWU) in L.A. andWarehouse Workers for Justice(WWJ) in Chicago. New Jerseyswarehouse workers have alsobeen organizing under theframework of the New Labor

workers center, but they have asyet been unable to take strikeaction.

At present, both forms of realworker power - associational andstructural - are in processes offormation among Walmartworkers, with coordination comingfrom the UFCW, OUR Walmart,

and local workers centers. Thiskind of bold, movement-buildingapproach is a positive step by theleaders of UFCW and otherChange to Win (CtW) unions -one which, if consistently pursuedover the past 30 or 40 years,might have prevented thecolossal decline in unions, wages,and living standards weve seensince then.

The Role of the UnionsBut we also have to be clear thatthe UFCW and its CtW brethren -SEIU, the Teamsters and, to alesser extent, UFW - are top-down, bureaucratic organizationswith track records of squelchingunion democracy when it conflictswith the objectives and privilegesof paid union officials. Not to

mention that the leaders of theseorganizations are bound at thehip to the Democratic Party,funneling millions to them everyelection season despite thepartys continued anti-worker, anti-union, pro-business policies.

Some on the left might claim thatthese factors make unions likethe UFCW useless for buildingworker power in U.S. society or atcompanies like Walmart. Othersmight take a wholly uncriticalapproach, delegating all decision-making power and moral authorityto the leaders of UFCW and OURWalmart. But these are noreasons not to aggressively beginserious organizing efforts. Thefirst argument ignores thepotential for workers to winmeaningful material gains even

under the framework of unionsthat are bureaucratic and, initially,class-collaborationist - as the

histories of both the Teamstersand the Steelworkers bear out.

The second argument is a recipefor long-term defeat, since thesource of worker power under

capitalism consists not incontracts or slick negotiating skills or, for that matter, in employerla rgesse or midd le-c lasssympathy - but in the ability ofworkers , when they ac tcollectively in their own interests,to shut down key sources ofcapitalist money-making. The leftneeds to get involved in theseorganizing efforts, while at the

same time arguing for themaximum power to rest with theworkers themselves. At the sametime, the left should be puttingforward effective, dynamicstrategies to help arm a new layerof worker activists at Walmart,who will play the main role inwinning the decisive battles tocome.

Mobilize Millions for WorkersR i g h t sDespite the small number ofworkers who actually struck, theOUR Walmart campaign and theactions taken by hundreds ofheroic Walmart workers representimportant steps forward. Withover 1.4 million workers workingin brutal conditions for pitifulwages, the potential for explosivedevelopments cannot be ruledout. Ultimately, winning living-wage jobs, respectful workingconditions, and a union for allWalmart workers will require themobilization of millions.

It is absolutely crucial that theactivity of Walmart workersthemselves be at the heart of anys t r a t e g y . T h i s i n c l u d e sdemocratic decision-making by

the workers, as opposed to thetop-down models that currentlydominate the labor movement.


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The lessons of the 1930s laborbattles will be crucial. Massstrikes, picket lines of thousands,occupations, and other militanttactics will be crucial for effectiveaction by the powerful ranks of

Walmart workers.

While the current strategy toavoid the normal NLRB channelsand use the limited existing lawsfor non-union workers canprovide an important start,ultimately the law is stackedagainst workers. Organizing atWalmart should be combined withb ro a d e r c a mp a ig n s a n d

movements to advance workersrights. While we should take

advantage of every single legalopening we can get, we shouldnot acquiesce to the limitations ofa draconian legal systemdesigned by corporate politiciansto make effective action by

workers nearly impossible.

Any meaningful change for the1.4 million workers at Walmart willrequire mobilizing millions todemand our rights in spite of thelaw and in defiance of it.Previous struggles have shownthat unjust laws can be defeatedthrough massive mobilizations ofworkers power. Otherwise, there

would be no unions today, andracist segregation laws would

never have been overturned. Thiswould also mean mobilizingactive support among the pubicand the community in defense ofthese organizing efforts.

If a non-union, low-wage Walmartepitomizes much that is wrongwith contemporary capitalism, aunionized, living-wage Walmartwould point more clearly in thedirection of what is really needed:the public ownership anddemocratic control by workers ofall key sectors of the economy,from manufacturing and financeto education, health care and,

yes, even retail.

During the last general secretaryelection, Robbie Segal the BroadLefts candidate and Socialist Partymember, declared she would onlyaccept the wage of a Tescoworker.

Please read the two extracts fromthe members magazine Arenawhich effectively illustrates Rob-bies position why officials shouldnot be paid incomes massivelyhigher than its members. We haveasked Robbie for her commentsand that is printed below.

General Secretarys income2011

The salary paid to the post ofGeneral Secretary of 90,035*and employers contributions inrespect of National Insurance andSuperannuation of 11,287 and18,342 respectively. The valueplaced by the Inland Revenue onthe car supplied to the GeneralSecretary amounts to 10,518.Arena, Autumn 2012

*Since the publication of moniespaid to John Hannett in 2011 our

general secretary has receivedanother hefty wage increase.

Minimum wage to increase

The Government has acceptedthe independent Low Pay Com-missions* recommendations forthis years national minimumwage, which will see the followingrates come into effect on 1 Octo-ber 2012:

The adult rate will increase by11p to 6.19 an hour

The rate for 18-20 year olds willremain at 4.98

The rate for 16-17 year olds willremain at 3.68 an hour and

The rate for apprentices will in-crease by 5p to 2.65 an hourArena, Summer 2012

*Hannett is a member of the Low

Pay Commission which is respon-sible for the latest increases inthe minimum wages.

Robbie comments:

In this day and age of austeritywhy does the leader of a union ofthe lowest paid workers, mainlyyoung women and men, some

with families working mainly parttime need that amount of money.How can he understand the real-ity of making ends met? How canhe understand what it is like tryingto feed yourself let alone a familyor house yourselves on a wagejust above the minimum basicwage that the Low Paid Commis-sion that he sits on recommends?

It is beyond belief that his car isworth more than unionised work-ers who work in supermarketsearn in a year. The stars of theunion the drivers and pickers inwarehouses have taken a dive intheir wages and conditions. Whatare we becoming when there isno fight back from our leaderswho are sitting pretty thank youvery much? Keep paying your

subs members!

The tale of two wage negotiations

activist issue 38

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