Twenty-five years ago, U.S. labor activists thought we were enmeshed
in a struggle against concessions, fueled by a process of
deindustrialization and capital flight. Here in the Midwest, the
epicenter of that formation was the Hormel strike of 1985-86,
extending from plants in southern Minnesota to Iowa and Nebraska.
Hormel management wanted to reorganize everything about the work in
their new flagship plant in Austin, from the calculation of wage
payments to the sharpening of knives, with the intent of replicating
these strategies throughout their plants. They pushed veteran workers
to retire, while insisting that remaining workers and new hires had
no choice in a competitive industry but to accept management's terms.
They made similar demands on Austin city officials -- tax breaks, the
construction of infrastructure at public expense, and subsidized
access to electric power.
<http://www.zmag.org/znet/viewArticle/18519>Link
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<http://www.monochrom.at/english/2008/08/minnesota-meatpacking-and-beyond.htm>monochrom
at 8/23/2008 12:36:00 PM
