By Pete Vargas
Workers at Moncure Plywood, in Moncure, North Carolina, are steadfast but weary as they have walked the picket line through three seasons of weather. Workers voted near-unanimously last July 20 to strike.
"We are standing on the word of God that we can see through this, and we are gratefully receiving support from all over the state," said Lewis Cameron, president of Machinists Local Lodge W369. Workers receive $150 a week strike pay.
Moncure is the only facility of the Connecticut-based holding company Wood Resources Inc. that is union. The company makes hardwood plywood used in furniture by Ethan Allen and Rowe Furniture but has lost one of its biggest contracts, Lazy Boy, since the strike. Some workers believe quality has diminished since underskilled replacement workers were hired.
Moncure management demanded drastic contract changes, including 60-hour and six-day work weeks, elimination of seniority, increases in insurance premiums by up to 400 percent, and fewer holidays.
After the contract expired, "the new managers would say, ‘Now you do what we tell you,’" said forklift operator Eddie Benitez. "I would work my 7-3 morning shift and they would call me at two in the morning and force me to come in."
Management of the facility has changed eight times in the past three years. This is the first time the local has had to strike in its 41-year history.
HATE CRIME
Workers arrived September 12 to find a hangman’s noose hanging from a piece of equipment. They called the sheriff to report a hate crime, but police never came.
It was not until three days later that a community member blocked the road, stopped traffic, and demanded that the noose be taken down. A truck driver delivering to Moncure got out of his truck and removed the noose.
"The management team was really shaken when we decided to strike. They tried to divide us in the shop, but on this line we are all united," said Charles Raines, a lead person in charge of quality control. The 200-person workforce was majority Black.
Raines added, "They told us they weren’t going to hire any more blacks, only Latinos, because they say they’ll do whatever the management wants."
Moncure has replaced more than half of the 110 striking workers, hiring mostly Latinos who lost their jobs last May when the Pilgrim’s Pride chicken processing plant closed in nearby Siler City, putting 836 people out of work. Moncure management is calling them permanent replacements.
Melvin Montford, a business rep and organizer for the local, said, "This is not about wages, this is about human rights.
"The manager said he wanted to send some people back to the negotiating table back in September to bargain in good faith, but he wanted to send the same guys that let the noose hang for three days!"
Community Church in Chapel Hill and the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom have loyally come down and brought food and encouragement to the strikers as well as walking the line. Local W369 members are calling for more community support to pressure Moncure to bargain.
"It hasn’t been easy, but just like Obama, we’re hoping for change soon," said Jasmine, wife of a striker.
