Argus Workers Strike

Argus Workers Strike Over Dispute

The Argus Optics plant on State Road was shut down on June 21 as a result of a strike at the factory that has been in effect since June 13.  Employees and local HRP members continue to picket at the plant.  The Argus plant specializes in grinding, polishing, and blocking lenses.

The strike is aimed at forcing the company to recognize the United Auto Workers (UAW) as a bargaining agent for its employees.  Some 110 employees, about 90 per cent of the workers who would become UAW members if the union were recognized by the company, have joined in the strike, according to strikers.  The factory employs a total of approximately 140 workers.

The dispute centers around the legitimacy of an April 1973 election in the factory in which workers voted to accept UAW representation.  Maurice Day, president of the Argus company, of which the plant is a branch, claims that "misstatements were made during the pre-election campaign which rendered the vote invalid."

The company has brought its complaint concerning the election before the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB).  The board ruled against the company.  A Court of Appeals ruling on the matter is now pending.

"The union is impatient," says Day.  "We're willing to wait for the appeal to come through."

But one striker argued, "The NLRB supervised the vote.  It was fair.  They're just stalling.

"They're probably afraid that when we unionize we'll ask for better working conditions, or more pay, or benefits," she remarked.  "We don't have any benefits now, we just collect a paycheck.  And our working places are filthy."

When asked whether he would consider a new NLRB election fair, Day said, "I wouldn't speculate on that."  Strikers say, however, that they would not consent to a new election because they feel the first election was valid

Day said that he does not see the NLRB-recognized strike as official, because he has "not been officially notified that my people are striking."

Strikers report having been told by company officials, "We're not anti-union, we're anti-loss."  Day claimed that his company is not, in fact, anti-union, but is concerned that workers who would not want to join a union would be forced to pay dues if unionization were to be permitted.

Argus has hired about a dozen workers to replace striking employees and has assigned some workers to jobs they do not ordinarily perform.

Several picketers have filed reports with police claiming to have been hit by cars passing through the picket line.  Police Chief Walter Krasny reports that a policeman who took down the names of several picketers and a police photographer taking pictures at the demonstration were acting to record witnesses and gather evidence relating to cases of people allegedly being struck by cars and people damaging cars as they passed through the picket line.

Human Rights Party coordinator Jon Showalter was arrested on June 19 for allegedly scratching a car with a key as it drove through the picket line.  He was charged with a misdemeanor and released on $25 bail pending his trial.  Strikers condemned the police for' arresting Showalter, claiming the police did not inspect the car he supposedly damaged.

The Argus company is seeking an injunction to limit the number of picketers permitted outside the plant.  A hearing on the matter is scheduled for July 3.

On June 19 Jan Gala, a former Argus employee who claims he was fired for union organizing activity, reported that he had received three telephone threats against his life.

— Stephen Hersh