Organizing Local 897...
With the opening of BSP and the UAW having 100% of Ford Motor Company organized the UAW decided it would be a benefit to help Ford ease the transition and offered their assistance with moving in and to be more effective and efficient. The UAW did not expect Ford to oppose their organization.
Ford hired Maroone and Maeder as personal director and director of security, respectively. During 1937-1941 they were both well know for their brutal participation in violent anti-union campaigns. When BSP opened as a non-union plant, Ford cut wages and sped up production lines as compared to the other locations that were unionized. The company tried to divide the work force, harassing organizers and dehumanizing workers. They fired union sympathizers even though these battles had been previously won elsewhere.
Organizing on the shop floor had to be done on the “sly”. Organizers knew if they were too bold they would risk losing their jobs for other so called “reasons”. Luckily the Tool & Die makers tended to take the lead in the organizing campaign. Because the company was in such desperate need of these workers, Tool and Die had the run of the plant. With their jobs they were allowed to work throughout the plant and reach more people than most other workers could. With their mobility and the strong demand for their skill, they made ideal organizers. Production workers had more limited opportunities to organize. They utilized the more time honored tradition of meeting outside the plant, which was usually at local bars.
There were frequent meetings with the sub-regional office that were held at the Woodlawn Hotel. They passed out leaflets as one of their best tools to communicate with the workers and run this campaign. They needed to let the workers know how the union had achieved the rights and benefits for other workers that were unionized. They also wanted the workers to know about Ford’s anti-union activities in the 1930’s and 40’s. “In unity there is strength and in strength there is progress”. Understanding the principals and the UAW bargaining goals were important. The UAW wanted the workers to know that their main goal for the workers was to achieve the working and living standards that would be increased in proportion to theprofitability of the corporation. The most important means to achieve that increased standard of living was the guaranteed annual wage. The UAW challenged the Buffalo Stamping Plant workers to “shape your union’s future” and join the UAW.
There were enough incidents that occurred on the shop floor that the leaflets that were passed around referring to Ford’s tactics prior to WWII that the history proved to be relevant to the present situation. In 1951 you had to purchase your own personal protection equipment including your gloves. The company charged the workers a dollar for a pair of gloves, and typically you went through two pairs a day at a time that you were making $1 an hour! The leaflets also pointed to the fact that a UAW victory at BSP would also include protection with automatic inclusion of the National Agreement besides coming to terms with a local agreement.
In late June of 1951 Ford fired 5 strong supporters of the UAW. The UAW filed charges against the company with the National Labor Relations Board. All these workers wanted were the security and privileges enjoyed by very other Ford workers outside of the Woodlawn plant in the country. The CIO used their local paper to rally support from the community. The company in turn sent employees letters to their homes implying that a vote for the UAW would end the opportunities that would otherwise be unlimited to the plants future. The company tried to convince the workers that joining the UAW was a waste of money. They would still receive their benefits and wages without organizing. This was just a facade with the company trying to show they were neutral. Forman spied on the workers inside and outside the plant. There was a lot of pressure from the foreman and security against workers joining the union. Soon the UAW filed a petition for election with the NLRB. The law required 30% of the eligible work force to sign a card before the petition is filed. The UAW waited until they had 50% of the work force wanting to unionize. After receiving the petition the NLRB conducted a hearing and decided that elections would be held on February 21, 1951.
There was much more of the company’s antics for union busting and much rallying for the union by the organizers. The election was a tremendous victory for the workers at the Buffalo Stamping Plant. The workers voted 543 to 215 for the union representation. There were many local issues to address. The company still played hard ball and wouldn’t meet until there was certification of the union by the NLRB.
Local 897 was chartered by the International Union in March of 1951. The local needed to elect officers, committeemen and a bargaining unit. It needed offices and more importantly it needed to organize itself and the workforce. They needed a local agreement.