19 Sep Antioch Laborers Remain on Strike, Demanding Fair Pay, Safe Working Conditions

Antioch Mayor Lamar Hernandez-Thorpe, center with “UNFAIR” sign, joins Georgia-Pacific manufacturing plant ILWU Local 6 workers during their strike Monday as they demand higher pay. (Frank Sterling / First Voice Media via Bay City News)

By Aly Brown
Bay City News

Labor union workers demanding higher pay and safer working conditions at an Antioch manufacturing plant remained on strike Wednesday after initially walking off the job site Monday.

Anthony Reves, spokesperson and business agent with the International Longshore and Warehouse Union Local 6, said they’re prepared to remain on strike until a fair deal is reached with Georgia-Pacific, an international manufacturing company with a plant located on Minaker Drive in Antioch.

“We want fair wages and a safe workplace. The package (Georgia-Pacific) gave us at 3% over four years is just not ideal,” said Reves. “We’re willing to work with them, just not at that percentage.”

ILWU Local 6 workers’ duties at Georgia-Pacific mainly involve loading sheetrock and rail. Reves said union members had reported unsafe working conditions that have not been addressed, a sentiment echoed by fellow laborers in the International Association of Machinists Local 1584, which joined the strike in solidarity.

Jerry Gutierrez, a business representative with Local 1584 — a union of mechanics and electricians with members also working at the plant — said his members specifically raised concerns about asbestos exposure and inadequate respiratory equipment.

Georgia-Pacific spokesperson Nicole Linton said Georgia-Pacific makes protecting the safety and health of its employees and local communities an important part of the company’s daily operations.

“We act in compliance with all laws and regulations regarding safety at our facilities, and we actively assess and mitigate risks on our sites,” she said.

Antioch Mayor Lamar Hernandez-Thorpe showed his support of the workers by joining them Tuesday.

“I just hope they can bring this strike to an end and come to a reasonable contract where they’re paid fair wages and assured safe working conditions,” he told a reporter Wednesday.

While Reves reported seeing buses of “scab workers” — or strikebreakers — from out of state arrive to backfill the union jobs, he noted that Local 6 has rallied 100% of its members and will remain strong as they wait for a fair deal.

“They’re not trying to get rich,” Reves said of the workers. “They’re trying to get a better way of living. California is not a cheap place to live. They’re just trying to survive.”

Linton said Georgia-Pacific supports the workers’ rights to go on strike and confirmed that strikebreakers were brought on-site to maintain operations to meet customer demands.

“Any employee that’s still wishing to work will be allowed to do so,” she said, “and we are continuing to bargain in good faith in order to reach an agreement with these unions and our employees.”

Gutierrez reported that 100% of his workers were also picketing to show their support; they plan to remain on strike until a deal is reached for Local 6.

“They call us the ‘fighting machinists,’ ” he said. “That’s what we plan on doing. We’re fighting to the end.”

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