Building on strong support in the plant, PACE Local 1202 engaged in a concerted campaign to mobilize community backing for their struggle, including outreach to other unions and the University community.

During previous contract negotiations, Rock-Tenn workers had beaten back the employer's demand for 12-hour shifts, but with the current contract about to expire, the 12-hour shift was still on the table.

12-hour shifts and a continuous production model are standard in about 70% of the paper industry, so workers had good reason to be concerned. Despite pressure from the employer, PACE 1202 stood firm because they know 12-hour shifts mean more accidents, more stress, and less time for family and other interests. They also knew they needed community support to help win the battle.

The South Central Federation of Labor (SCFL), the regional AFL-CIO council, activated its Street Heat Network of local union activists with impressive results. “SCFL has built up a sizable list of committed union activists who will turn out to support local labor struggles,” said Joe Mingle, a member of American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees Local 2412 and SCFL's Organizing Committee. “I think it's clear that this time they really made a difference.”

On the eve of their contract expiration, when Pace Local 1202 called for a rally to “save the 8 hour day in Madison,” union activists turned out in droves. According to SCFL President Jim Cavanaugh, at the peak of the rally, there were more that 350 activists picketing outside the plant including representatives from 38 different local Unions!

Student Support

Students from the University of Wisconsin also took up the call and worked to support PACE 1202. Several student organizations built a Solidarity Committee on campus and helped educate the university community about the paper workers' battle. In addition to leafleting at the student union for the rally, UW students organized two public forums for PACE 1202 workers to come share their story with campus activists.

“The students of today are the workers of tomorrow,” says Bob Hemauer, a member of the Student Labor Action Coalition. “Unions and the Labor Movement set the working standards for everyone in the country, workers, professionals, even management types. I don't want to work 12-hour shifts when I enter the workforce, so this is my battle too!”

As a result of the solidarity of workers in the plant, and the support of the community, Rock-Tenn management withdrew their demand for 12-hour shifts just before the holidays. Unfortunately, many difficult issues remain on the table, so the struggle isn't over yet. Negotiations are ongoing and the possibility of a sharper conflict still looms. Regardless of what the future holds, PACE 1202 workers can celebrate a small victory.

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SCFL's Organizing Committee has brought together Union activists from a wide range of locals to develop and carry out a plan for re-igniting the city's labor movement and bringing more workers into the Union fold. “The labor movement must organize and grow. Here in Madison, we've decided to draw the line and fight for workers' rights to dignity, a decent life, and a voice in the workplace,” Mingle said. SCFL's planned campaign includes a variety of components which will help build organizing momentum.

Central to SCFL's plan is direct outreach to unorganized workers at targeted facilities and in the broader community. In consultation with International Unions that have demonstrated a commitment to organizing, SCFL is assessing a variety of non-Union facilities as targets and preparing for outreach to those workers. A broader, media-oriented campaign is also planned to create a pro-Union environment throughout the community. This aspect of the campaign will promote the positive impact of Unions and encourage workers to exercise their rights to form a Union at their workplace.

SCFL's campaign also actively involves trained volunteer organizers who will directly assist workers during organizing drives. Local Union members, students, and community activists are being trained as foot soldiers to provide the energy some organizing drives need to win. Workers from many different Unions have signed on to help their unorganized Sisters and Brothers because they know their interests, and their enemies, are the same.

The rich and powerful have declared war on Union workers and the poor but the FIGHT BACK is only beginning. In Madison, and in many places across the country, working people are leading the way to a new, just society where everyone is guaranteed a basic standard of living and everyone has a voice.

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