Read our editorial on the significance of strikes here.
After nearly two years of what workers describe as bad-faith and regressive bargaining, Houston glaziers represented by Glaziers Local 1778 launched an unfair labor practice strike against Spring Glass on May 20 following the firing of workers for displaying pro-union stickers.
According to the local, which is affiliated with the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades (IUPAT) District Council 10, Spring Glass fired several workers for wearing “Ready to Strike” stickers during contract negotiations.
Following the firings, Local 1778 members voted overwhelmingly to strike and filed an unfair labor practice charge against Spring Glass. The strike has now entered its second month.
Among the fired workers is Justin Svetlik, who had worked at Spring Glass for more than 22 years.
“Not only did they fire me, but they took the company shirt right off my back,” Svetlik said from the picket line.
Svetlik also described intimidation tactics from Spring Glass, such as putting cow manure and maggots on the picket line.
Parker Diaz, a striking glazier at Spring Glass, said workers are demanding a return to good-faith negotiations.
“Over the last five years there’s been a slow decline in union support from the management structure at Spring Glass,” Diaz said. “We’re here to get what we deserve: to have them come back to the bargaining table and to bargain with us in good faith.”
An IUPAT representative who requested anonymity told The Worker, “Negotiations have been ongoing with Spring Glass for two years, and they even asked for a $5 pay cut. [The union] went into trusteeship a few years ago, and their former BMST [Business Manager/Secretary Treasurer] now works for management in Spring Glass.”
A trusteeship in a union is a disciplinary or corrective measure where the parent union, in this case the International, suspends the autonomy of a subordinate body (like a local union) and takes direct control over its daily operations, finances, and governance.
The union is calling on supporters to call Spring Glass and demand they respect the rights of the striking workers and end unfair labor practices.
Supporters can contribute to the Local 1778 strike fund here.
Image Credit: Texas AFL-CIO.
The Worker is an entirely volunteer-run revolutionary newspaper free from and radically antagonistic to corporate influence. We rely on the support of our readers to sustain our editorial line in service of the working class and the reconstitution of its party, the Communist Party. Make a one-time or recurring donation to our newspaper today:
Make a one-time donation
Your contribution is appreciated.
DonateMake a monthly donation
Your contribution is appreciated.
Donate monthlyMake a yearly donation
Your contribution is appreciated.
Donate yearly
