Grand Rapids, MI – Health insurance workers of Blue Cross Blue Shield, organized with the United Auto Workers (UAW), walked out on strike four weeks ago after new contract negotiations fell through.

Negotiations for a new contract between Blue Cross Blue Shield and the UAW were due to be resolved by September 13. Instead talks between the company and the union broke down September 11 and a work stoppage and picket line began in downtown Grand Rapids two days later. Workers with the UAW Local 2145 have been on strike and walking the picket line five days a week since then.

Ed Spang, the vice president of UAW Local 2145, spoke of the demands of the union and what negotiations with the Blue Cross Blue Shield are currently looking like, saying it didn’t matter if you’ve worked “90 days or 90 years,” the union wants to bring an end to the tiered system in their existing contract, where some workers get paid more than others. The UAW also wants to eliminate job outsourcing with this new contract. Spang explained how a large amount of health insurance jobs are being sent overseas to El Salvador and the Philippines.

The UAW at Blue Cross Blue Shield is also demanding healthcare for their retiree workers. Retirees since January 1, 2009 have gone without healthcare from the company. Spang also described how their workers currently must be employed for 22 years to achieve the highest pay rate, and that the union is demanding that number be reduced to a maximum of eight years. In addition, the UAW also wants a wage adjustment to match the cost of living, which has increased since past contracts.

The strike by Local 2145 is separate from the larger UAW auto strike happening across the country, which began last month and affects workers at General Motors, Ford and Stellantis.

The UAW provides the Grand Rapids local with legal, accounting and representative needs. Spang noted that UAW Local 167, located in Wyoming, Michigan, came out to walk the picket line downtown with Local 2145.

Local 2145 is organized in the Technical, Office, and Professional (TOP) sector of the UAW. TOP is currently the fastest growing sector of the union, according to Spang.

The union local returned to the table to negotiate with Blue Cross Blue Shield on Monday, October 2, but have remained on strike since then.

#GrandRapidsMN #UAW #Strike #BCBS #UAW2145

Grand Rapids, MN – The calls for conviction of Christopher Schurr, the cop who murdered 26-year-old Congolese immigrant Patrick Lyoya, were heard in the streets of Grand Rapids on Wednesday, August 30, during a rally of 70 people demanding justice ahead of Schurr’s Court of Appeals date next week. This is the first of two events planned – the second will be to pack the court next week for Schurr’s hearing.

Protesters gathered at Calder Plaza before kicking off a march that circled through the downtown and finished at the Kent County Courthouse for speeches. The event was emceed by Robert Womack, a former city commissioner, and included civil rights lawyer Ben Crump; Patrick Lyoya’s father, Peter; Pastor Sean Holland of the Lansing Black Lives Matter; and Kellan Martin of the Grand Rapids Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression.

Peter Lyoya, speaking through his translator Israel Siku, expressed his gratitude for those carrying on the fight for his son. “The blood of Patrick cries for justice,” said Lyoya. The slogans “Cry 4 Justice” and “We will never forget!” have been adopted as rallying cries by the family in the months leading up to the hearing.

“This is bigger than Christopher Schurr,” said Womack, who filled the gaps between speakers with chants and powerful words. “Whether he goes to jail or not, we won’t stop there until city hall bends to the will of the people!” Womack led chants of “Guilty! Guilty!” and “Justice for? Patrick Lyoya!”

Ben Crump, who has represented a number of high-profile cases pivotal in the Black lives matter movement, flew into Grand Rapids to speak at the rally. He offered sobering and powerful reflections on the progress of the movement against police and told the audience to try and avoid being discouraged from the fight.

Crump said we should take seriously Schurr’s claim he was following training procedures from the Grand Rapids Police Department, as it points to a systemic problem with policing in the city.

“They didn’t think we were going to get justice for George Floyd. They didn’t think we were going to get justice for Ahmaud Arbery,” said Crump. “It was the people who made us get justice for George Floyd.”

Kellan Martin, a member of the Grand Rapids Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression, spoke on the police violence in the city, calling it “obscene” and arguing the police treat Black people in Grand Rapids as colonial subjects. The Alliance played a role in organizing the rally, offering to distribute flyers and unite forces across the city to attend.

The rally closed with more chants in front of the courthouse. “Will we ever forget? No!” “What do we want? Justice! When do we want it? Now!”

Schurr and his defense team were granted a leave to appeal in April. In the year since the murder, the defense has been fighting to have the case dropped, citing self-defense in the line of duty. The video, however, clearly shows Patrick Lyoya unarmed, with Schurr pinning him to the ground and shooting him in the head. Womack noted during the rally the absurdity of Schurr even having an appeals hearing.

The Lyoya family are demanding justice for their son and want to continue ensuring his memory burns bright in the city’s consciousness. Schurr’s hearing is on September 6, at 9 a.m, and the family, local groups and the Grand Rapids Alliance are calling to pack the court with Lyoya’s supporters.

#GrandRapidsMN #PoliceBrutality #PatrickLyoya

Grand Rapids, MN – At 6 a.m., July 15, around 200 members of Teamsters Local 346 walked off their jobs at the UPM Blandin Paper Company and began a strike. Grand Rapids gets its name because it sits along the Mississippi River in northern Minnesota. The UPM Blandin paper plant was built in its location on the edge of the river to use the river to power its paper mill. The plant has been an established feature of the town’s economy since its founding in 1901. Now, for the first time in the history of the plant its workers have gone on strike.

When workers were asked why they decided to go on strike, some of the main issues they raised were around bargaining for higher wages, staff retention, and to get rid of a two-tier benefit system under which workers are not eligible for benefits until they have worked at the company for five years, and receive lower pay, which the union members say leads to high turnover, forced overtime, and dangerous conditions.

Striking workers also pointed to having vacations approved and then cancelled even after they have bought their plane tickets and booked lodging. According to the workers’ speeches on the picket line the company has been totally unwilling to negotiate for solutions. They said that the two-tier system and lack of fair wage increases has been demoralizing and they felt like they have been moving backwards.

Teamster members said they felt that the company had not moved in bargaining and was dragging their feet through the entire bargaining process in an attempt to stall the union workers out while the union was attempting to bargain in good faith. The Teamsters contract has been expired since July 1, so the union members gave them company two weeks to come up with better proposals before beginning the strike on July 15.

On the picket line, speakers could be heard saying that this is an important fight for the whole labor movement and that they wanted to thank the community, who they say has been highly supportive of their fight. The workers appeared highly united around the need to eliminate the two-tier system and not let it divide them.

As the Teamsters began their strike on Saturday, union members said that they had been told that a two week-long strike was likely but later the company stated that they expected negotiations to resume on Tuesday, July 18. The Teamsters are ready to remain on strike and keep fighting until their demands are met.

#GrandRapidsMN #PeoplesStruggles #Teamsters