Union Made

Being the daughter of a quarry worker, I grew up in a Union family. Honestly, I can't say that I was even aware that my dad belonged to a union until I was 20 years old. We didn't buy only "union made" products. We never went to union get togethers. My dad worked for the same cement plant for 41 years - the name of the plant changed at least three times; however the structure of the plant never changed. My dad is a lifetime member of the International Brotherhood of Boilermakers, Iron Ship Builders, Blacksmiths, Forgers, and Helpers. We affectionately refer to them as the Local D-208 - their union call number. When I turned 20, for the first time in fifty years, my dad walked off his job along with every other full time employee on that plant. They were on strike. Capital Cement, the name of the plant at that time, refused to renew their contract and wanted them to work without one. After trying to reach a compromise for months, the International suggested a strike. When my dad was out, he would go walk the picket line during his normal shift (12am-8am). Some of the guys didn't walk the line; some came and walked for a few hours. My dad would go in at midnight and walk for 8 hours. He would get a check from the union for something like $35 a week. When I asked Dad why he was walking the line when the other guys weren't, he told me that he was walking for his job and for the jobs of the younger guys out there. The entire plant ground to a halt. With 100% of their employees off the plant, management was at a loss. At first, the company refused to even try to negotiate. After a week of lost production, they finally went back to the bargaining table. The strike drug on for a couple weeks and finally a temporary contract was approved. Shortly thereafter a company named Essroc bought out Capital Cement and a new contract was accepted. My dad retired six months later.

Over the next couple days, I'm going to post a series with a union theme. For two summers, I was a member of the same union as my father. My hard hat was covered with Boilermaker stickers and I went to union meetings. Also, being from WV - the heart of the United Mine Workers - I will also post on coal miners and how the UMW saved them. My sister is anti-union. I also am aware of the negative connotation often associated with the word "union." I would like to address these impressions with my personal experiences.