Mauser Workers Strike for Immigration Protections and a Fair Contract

Strategic Insights -

As the strike at Mauser Packaging Solutions in Chicago enters its 11th week, workers are demanding a fair contract that includes protections against federal immigration authorities, improved pay, safer working conditions, guaranteed breaks, and affordable health care. The strike, which began on June 9, is a testament to the power of workers to protect themselves on the job and in the anti-fascist movement.

Key Takeaways:

  • The strike at Mauser Packaging Solutions in Chicago is a response to alleged unfair labor practices by the company, including spying on workers and refusing to bargain in good faith.
  • Workers are demanding a fair contract that includes protections against federal immigration authorities, improved pay, safer working conditions, guaranteed breaks, and affordable health care.
  • The company has been accused of using the threat of immigration authorities to intimidate workers, with some workers reporting that they have been told they could face a similar fate as workers in Seattle who were locked out by the company.
  • The strike is part of a larger movement by workers to protect themselves against immigration crackdowns, with some unions winning related protective language in their contracts.
  • Every worker at the plant has honored the picket line, as have the roughly 20 drivers who do delivery and pickup and are also members of Local 705.
  • The stakes are high, as workers face daunting conditions, including working with hazardous materials and lacking adequate PPE or cleaning systems to protect them from hazards.

Statistics:

  • 140 people work at the Mauser plant in Chicago, about 90 percent of whom are Latino.
  • 11,000 people are employed by Mauser Packaging Solutions at 117 sites internationally.
  • $170 billion has been earmarked in the Trump administration's budget bill for the immigration crackdown.
  • Every worker at the plant has honored the picket line, as have the roughly 20 drivers who do delivery and pickup and are also members of Local 705.
  • 20 workers from Local 117 in Seattle were locked out by the company in April.
  • 50 strikers held a small but boisterous rally and picket line next to the plant, waving picket signs and chanting in Spanish.

Sources:

  • The American Prospect
  • Workday Magazine
  • In These Times
  • Labor Notes
  • The Guardian
  • NBC News
  • AFL-CIO
  • Mauser Packaging Solutions
  • Local 705
  • Local 117 (Seattle)
  • Arise (Chicago-area worker center)