Rallying for the Freightliner Five

CLEVELAND, N.C.--Approximately 60 people rallied here in support of five workers, known as the Freightliner Five, who were illegally terminated in a truck manufacturing plant. The rally took place at Cleveland Town Park, where over a dozen speakers addressed the crowd, followed by a march to the Freightliner plant.

Management stopped production at Freightliner the day of the protest due to a "parts shortage." However, Freightliner workers at the rally cited the demonstration supporting the Freightliner Five as the real reason for the shutdown.

According to one worker who will be laid off along with 1,500 others on June 6, the "parts shortage" story is a sham. "There were engines all over the dock," she said. Freightliner resumed production the day after the rally, a Saturday, paying "volunteer" workers time and a half.

The five--Franklin Torrence, Glenna Swinford, Robert Whiteside, Allen Bradley and David Crisco--were terminated following a brief strike by United Auto Workers (UAW) Local 3520 in April 2007. All are members of the union's bargaining committee. Three are members of the union's executive board.

In his speech, Franklin Torrence spoke of the struggle for democracy within Local 3520, where the local president, George Drexel, has excluded the workers from membership. In the days before the rally, the Freightliner Five filed a lawsuit in federal court against the local, seeking restoration of their membership.

Glenna Swinford spoke about the struggle of tobacco workers in the Farm Labor Organizing Committee (FLOC), who face dangerous chemicals and dehydration in the fields. "FLOC workers are asking for the same things Freightliner workers are asking for--health care, safety and a decent wage," she said.

During a brief march, protesters chanted, "Hey, hey, ho, ho, union-busting's got to go;" "the Freightliner Five, shut the plant down;" Gay, straight, black, white, workers of the world, unite and fight;" and "What do we want? Justice! When do we want it? Now."

Woody Woodard, president of the Statesville, N.C., NAACP, summed up the mood of the rally: "Solidarity will win any fight."

Other speakers included Ken Riley, president of International Longshoremen's Association Local 1422; Saladin Muhammad, an organizer with United Electrical Workers Local 150 and member of Black Workers for Justice; and Bay Area labor activist Steve Zeltzer. A special guest was Tom Adler, a member of Germany's IG Metall union and of the works council at Daimler AG, the parent company of Freightliner.

While the turnout at the rally was smaller than hoped for, the reason was a campaign of fear and intimidation by Freightliner management, Allen Bradley said. "For the first time in its history, the plant was completely closed--no maintenance, skilled trades nobody," he said. "It was a lockout." He added: "The workers actually believe that if they had stood with us, they would have been terminated."

Adding to workers' fears was the looming layoffs and concessions by the remaining members of Local 3520's bargaining committee, Bradley said. "Union membership in the plant has dropped below 50 percent," Bradley said, pointing to North Carolina's "right-to-work" laws that prohibit union shops.

Solidarity actions with the North Carolina rally also took place in other cities. In Seattle, 10 labor activists leafleted a car dealership for Mercedes-Benz, another Daimler subsidiary. Those attended included union members and staffers from Service Employees International Union (SEIU) 1199, SEIU 925 and United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 21. Some 25 people signed petitions in support of the Freightliner Five as fact sheets about their case were handed out to passersby.

The Freightliner Five solidarity campaign will continue with events aimed at fundraising to keep the struggle going. And after the expenses of the rally, more contributions are urgently needed. Supporters can make donations online at www.justice4five.com. The Web site also has model resolutions for unions and information about where to send donations by mail.

The Freightliner Five are determined to keep battling. As David Crisco said at the rally: "I'm here today broke, but I'm not broken."