The thugs behind the desk hollered, “Your company closed. You’re no longer members of this union. You can’t vote in the election.”

Within an hour, the thugs came back to the front door. “Silver Capital workers can all come in.” Their efforts to block participation by these workers were countered by the reformers in the 743 New Leadership Slate (NLS). By the end of the day, the tough guys were sweating as they watched the vote count pile up a victory for the NLS.

Immigrant Workers Stand Up To Company and Union Sellouts

Two months earlier, 150 workers at the Silver Capital factory in the Chicago suburb of Bedford Park had listened to their so-called representative tell them their company was closing. “They had negotiated a deal in secret,” said Marcela Garcia. “Then they handed us the severance agreement and said, ‘Take it or leave it.’”

For the bureaucrats in Local 743, deal making like this is standard operating procedure.

What happened next was a shock to the sellouts. The Silver Capital workers, all immigrants, and many undocumented workers, declared a one-day strike against the company and the union officials. They demanded an end to collusion between the union and the company, who were carrying out a plan together against the workers.

Following this, the reformers in the New Leadership Slate came to offer their support. “The treatment of immigrant workers at Silver Capital shows the worst side of the old guard in Local 743,” said Tony Caldera. Caldera, a candidate with the NLS and an immigrant worker himself, also works at a factory represented by Local 743. He too has seen the union representatives sell out the interests of his co-workers on many occasions.

Caldera told the Silver Capital workers the NLS would stand by them and support them in their fight. He told them that their best chance for justice was to join the NLS. In response, Marcela Garcia was chosen vice-presidential candidate.

Silver Capital: A Symbol for Immigrant Labor

Since then, these rank-and-file workers have become very well known among the workers of Local 743, as well as immigrant workers in general in the Chicago area. Tens of thousands of immigrants from Mexico and other countries work in the low wage factories in and around Chicago. Besides low wages and bad working conditions, they share the experiences of being sold out by unions. These unions collect their dues and provide little or no representation. Workers continue to receive low wages, few raises and minimal benefits. Spanish and Polish speaking members in Local 743 have fought for years just to receive their contracts in their languages.

Jose Galvan, the representative who sold out the Silver Capital workers, went further than this. When undocumented workers protested the lousy offer he handed them, he threatened to call immigration.

One of the workers, Josefina, said this was just the latest act of intimidation. “For years they have treated us with disrespect because we are immigrants.”

The NLS is committed to helping the Silver Capital workers find jobs at other companies represented by the Local, and funding training for those workers who aren’t able to benefit from programs offered by the Labor Department. Richard Berg, presidential candidate of the New Leadership Slate said, “When we win, justice for the Silver Capital workers will be among our top priorities.”

#ChicagoIL #ImmigrantRights #News #Teamsters #TeamstersLocal743 #SilverCapital #electionFraud #undocumented

The current officers stopped the ballot count in the first election. “Everybody knows why. They were losing,” declared Donny Von Moore, a supporter of the opposition 743 New Leadership Slate (NLS).

When Local 743 President Walston ended the ballot count on Oct. 18, the NLS was ahead by a slim margin. There were disputed ballots, but many of those were ballots cast by the Silver Capital workers. These votes were certain to go for the NLS. The old-guard candidate for vice president, Jose Galvan, had sold out these workers earlier this year. [See related article.]

The gangsters stole the election three years ago to get into office. This fall, they were looking at the end of their cushy jobs with six figure salaries. They had to come up with an excuse to call off the election. Grasping at straws, they declared that the election was so flawed that the members wouldn’t see it as legitimate. They ordered a new one.

The Teamsters for a Democratic Union called it, “A Chicago twist on an old trick: Vote until you get it right.” The officers’ action was based on a protest filed by Richard Berg. Berg is the presidential candidate of the NLS. He described how the officials had dismissed many protests he filed, and then chose to grant one and order a new election when they faced defeat. “Think about it. They’re saying ‘stop the election because we’re so corrupt and incompetent, this election couldn’t possibly be fair.’”

Marcela Garcia, a leader of the Silver Capital workers who is running for office with the NLS, said, “We will win again. We know the immigrant workers, all the workers, are supporting us.”

Earlier, the NLS had caught the union’s secretary treasurer, Diane Strickland, stealing ballots to vote for the old-guard ‘Unity Slate.’ Hundreds of returned ballots had disappeared from a secure mailbox. When the NLS investigated, they found that Strickland had illegally checked out two keys from the post office. Later, almost 100 of these stolen ballots showed up, cast for the current officers.

Tony Caldera, NLS candidate for secretary treasurer, said, “We caught them red handed. We know they stole many other votes, but we beat them anyway. If they hadn’t stolen votes, we would have beat them two to one. They have no support among the workers.”

Berg has said to supporters at rallies ever since the first vote count, “Beating the Walston gang is a tremendous victory for workers in this local. The corruption of the old guard is clear to everyone. No matter what happens next, we’re on our way to taking this union back for the members.”

#ChicagoIL #News