The 1983 GreyHound BusLines employees strike.

http://libcom.org/history/1983-leave-slave-driving-us-chris-fillmer

The 1983 GreyHound BusLines employees strike.

On Dec. 19, 1983, 74% of the Greyhound BusLines employees who belong to the Amalgamated Transit Union voted to accept a contract with Greyhound that amounted to a 15% wage/benefit cut overall. Not only were outstanding issues such as safety problems and abuse of casual or "extra-board" drivers not dealt with, the workers took a direct 7.8% pay cut along with the Ioss of four to five paid vacation days; also, the company will no longer cover the complete cost of health insurance or pensions.



One of the biggest losses was one not voted for: On Dec.5th, Ray Phillips, of ATU Cleveland Local 1043, was run down and killed outside Zanesville, Ohio by a scab trainee-driver. The trainee was reportedly egged-on by his instructor. The bus drove through union pickets in a crosswalk, running against a traffic signal in doing so. Ray Phillips was unable to get out of the way. The slave driving the bus, as well as the slave-driving person in charge, went unpunished by the law. On the other hand, outside many a Greyhound depot the cops beat heads during the course of the strike. And about 30 strikers have been fired by Greyhound under allegations of causing "personal injury or property damage."

This may be the contract, but it ain't justice!

Greyhound Lines had opened bargaining with the ATU negotiators long before the actual strike by offering what amounted to a 25-30% cut in wages and benefits. As justification for its position, Greyhound cited the growing number of take-away contracts and non-union operators in the bus and air transportation industry. If the ATU membership didn't accept this offer the Greyhound Corporation (the conglomerate that owns the bus lines as well as businesses in other industries) claimed it would be forced to shut down the Bus Lines division within three years due to the increased competition.

This first offer was rejected by the Greyhound workers with 94% voting "No." It was so bad that even the official union negotiators urged a "No" vote. And why should they have accepted it? Pickets from San Francisco Local 1225 knew quite well that the Greyhound Corporation earned $103 million in profits through mid-November in 1983. As Labor Notes pointed out (Nov. 22, 1983), "Greyhound Lines Chair Frank Nagotte pulled down a hefty $447,000 in salary and benefits" in 1983. In general, Greyhound management was slated to receive a 7-10% salary/benefit increase. Despite the competition from lower air fares, cited by Greyhound management, the Bus Lines division alone earned a profit that has been estimated at $5 million in the first nine months of 1983. Neither the parent conglomerate nor the Bus Lines division were in any immediate danger of bankruptcy, unlike the situation of Chrysler in 1980 or Continental in early 1983.

After Greyhound's first contract of fer was voted down, the ATU negotiators came back with the offer to leave the then-valid contract in effect. Not a hint that even the current contract left important matters untouched. But Greyhound was out for blood, and they were in no mood to accept the status quo. Thus, the company just repeated their demands for concessions.

The union piecards then pleaded for binding arbitration -- anythmg to avoid a strike!

After the strike got underway, the stalemate in negotiations lasted until the Bus Lines tried to run scab buses, beginning on Nov. 17th.


FULL article at link.