Tucson, AZ -Despite the closure of the physical presence of picket lines due to COVID-19, the eight unions representing nearly 2000 workers on strike at five Asarco facilities in Texas and Arizona remain “One day longer, one day stronger” against the abusive global copper giant.

In addition to the financial blow being dealt to Asarco by having production halted by around 50%, the unions, their members, and community supporters have organized protests and awareness campaigns about Asarco and parent organization GrupoMexico’s illegal labor and environmental practices.

In February, a group of Steelworkers busted into the swanky Marriott Hotel’s conference room to shame Asarco at a regional mining group conference chanting “Shame on Asarco, fair pay now!” before being removed by security.

Recently, the eight unions created a divestment campaign aimed at drawing awareness of Asarco and GrupoMexico’s violation of labor rights and environmental laws. The unions hope to create bad press among current and potential investors. In fact, in January, a pension fund in Denmark divested and blacklisted its stock because of their “irresponsible and criminal behavior.”

#TucsonAZ #OppressedNationalities #PeoplesStruggles #ChicanoLatino #strike #Strikes #Asarco #AsarcoStrike

Since then, the picket line at the five operations, four in Arizona, one in Texas, has been held solid by Teamsters, Steelworkers and other trade unionists. Besides the picket line, there have been press conferences, demonstrations outside the Mexican consulate, protests outside Asarco’s office, a disruption of the Mining Association’s meeting by workers, and plenty of community outreach.

Recently, the strikers have met with a California legislator who has been close to the USMCA trade deal that Trump is pushing. On the opening day of the Arizona legislature, January 13, strikers took to the capitol to push their cause to state lawmakers who can enforce rules and regulations that Asarco is not following.

“It is clear a pressure campaign to shame this greedy corporation is necessary,” said Steelworker strike captain Eduardo Placencio.

#TucsonAZ #TusconAZ #OppressedNationalities #PeoplesStruggles #ChicanoLatino #Strikes #Asarco #AsarcoStrike

Tucson, AZ – As one of the country’s longest running strikes continues into week 13, educators from Arizona’s RedForEd movement brought food donations to the picket line. The eight unions serving nearly 2000 workers at five Asarco copper mining operations have created a tradition at the Pima Mine: Sunday dinner. It’s a beautiful display of worker solidarity and union power as striking workers and their families come eat a warm meal and enjoy their camaraderie. It is there that a van-full of non-perishable goods from Phoenix-area educators was delivered.

President of the Chandler Education Association, Katie Nash, said “I came down to the picket line to show solidarity to union siblings who showed us solidarity during our strike in 2018. It’s important as union siblings that we stand united and lift each other up when needed. Many educators contributed to this because we know their parents are doing the right thing by striking but we wanted to make sure their children continue to have food.”

The Arizona Education Association donated $1000 at the beginning of the strike in October and a handful of locals have followed suit the Chandler Education donated $200 to strikers and the Tucson Education Association donated $250 and raised another $260 from members.

#TucsonAZ #TusconAZ #OppressedNationalities #PeoplesStruggles #ChicanoLatino #strike #Strikes #RedforEd #Asarco

Tucson, AZ – On day 77 of the Asarco strike of 2000 workers from eight different unions, Teamster International President Jimmy Hoffa Jr. came by to voice his solidarity. “We are with you!” shouted Hoffa in front of the long tables where dozens of strikers and their families ate together on Sunday, December 29.

Only once since mid-October has the mining corporation Asarco come to the negotiating table. “They made it clear that they are not interested at all in real negotiations and real solutions,” said Alex Terrazas, president of United Steelworkers Local 937.

Powerful moments of solidarity emerged as the Teamster Local 104 secretary-treasurer held an informal press conference, allowing many elected politicians to announce themselves, and when a Steelworker from Wyoming said he drove all the way down to deliver $500 from his local. The crowd erupted in cheers.

As the press conference ended, Terrazas led a chant of “We are? One!” and “We will win!”

#Tucson #strike #Strikes #Asarco #TeamsterLocal104

Fight Back! interview with the president of United Steelworkers (USW) Local 937 Alex Terrazas.

Fight Back!: How have negotiations with Asarco gone so far?

Terrazas: After ten years without a raise, and four years without a new contract, our members voted overwhelmingly to strike. Day 1 began at midnight on October 13 and only after a full month of shutting down the majority of production did Asarco decide to come to the table on November 14. They did not bring a new proposal, nor change their stance. They are unwilling to actually negotiate. They are not taking us seriously. After the one day of so-called negotiations, there haven’t been any further negotiations and no date set. It was super clear that they only did this to try to make themselves look good. All we want is a fair, equitable contract, but this is a very greedy company.

Fight Back!: What has given the strike its longevity?

Terrazas: Our members understand exactly the importance of this fight. They are willing to do what it takes to win. Some people think that striking workers are lazy. Well, this is exactly the opposite. Some members and officers are sacrificing 12, 13 hours a day to help out. They are working jobs and still coming to the picket line to help out. There’s nothing lazy about them they are working three times as much as before the strike. They are so dedicated.

Fight Back!: What kind of support have you all received?

Terrazas: Our union’s strike defense funds have helped our members a lot. There has also been support from the AFL-CIO and Pima Area Labor Federation in terms of connecting our members to food donations collected at the city ward offices, donations from the Community Food Bank, donated dental services, resource fairs, and wood for fires. State Representative Andres Cano helped members get connected with state healthcare benefits. Another huge piece for us has been the connection with One Stop that has found jobs for our members so that they can have some income and more importantly not cross the picket line. We have had great community support, RedForEd has been down here a couple of times. We are starting a campaign to get local businesses to support us by putting signs in their windows. We have had good coverage in the media so far to expose Asarco’s greed.

Fight Back!: What kind of leverage do you have in a unfair labor practices strike?

Terrazas: So of the four mines in Arizona, the Hayden site is a smelting operation and we had that shut down by week two of the strike and the Amarillo, Texas smelting site is shut down as well. This has forced Asarco to load up railcars and sent them to Mexico, which we know if costing them lots of money in transportation costs. We have shut down operations and crippled production by more than half! We also know that we have the majority of skilled labor out on strike and that costs Asarco a lot of money because the scabs don’t know how to fix the machines and how to operate all the equipment. At the north mill at the Mission mine, there aren’t even one-quarter of the shovel drivers, so this too is causing the company to lose a lot in profits. As I said before, this is a very greedy company and we’re gonna screw them by hitting them in the pocketbooks.

#Arizona #AZ #OppressedNationalities #PeoplesStruggles #ChicanoLatino #Strikes #Asarco #USWLocal937 #AlexTerrazas

Tucson, AZ – It has become tradition in Arizona to wear red and take selfies on Wednesdays to support the #RedForEd movement to demand that the legislature fully fund schools. However, since there are currently 2000 workers on strike at the Asarco mines, educators took selfies with Steelworkers and Teamsters on their picket line on Wednesday, October 16.

Spirits were high as strikers and supporters chatted while the sun went down. As the mine is located in a rural area, not much traffic goes by so the strikers knew exactly who a replacement worker was and shouted “Scab!” at them as they passed.

Up against the world’s third largest copper producer in Grupo Mexico’s Asarco, the eight unions are hoping their shutdown of a smelting facility, refinery and mining operations will force the company to offer a decent contract. Asarco workers have gone nearly a decade without a raise and are facing a spike in the cost of benefits.

The unions are on an ‘Unfair Labor Practice’ strike because Asarco has refused to bargain with the unions.

Arizona educators share a common enemy in the dark money connections that Asarco established through its membership with the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC). Around three dozen Arizona state legislators attended the most recent ALEC summit in Houston in August. ALEC is a notorious hotbed of conservative economic and political legislation aimed at weakening unions, pushing charter schools, cutting taxes for billionaires and corporations and deregulating the energy sector.

“We appreciate so much the solidarity demonstrated here tonight by teachers and education workers. All working class deserve better pay and benefits and striking and solidarity is the way forward,” said Steelworker Eduardo Placencio.

#TucsonAZ #PeoplesStruggles #strike #Strikes #Asarco