Support UNITE Local 1764
We are the 80 employees of J.B. Fields Inc., located in Trenton, Ontario. We manufacture men's and women's socks. We've been on strike since March 23, 1998. What are we fighting for? It's simple:
J.B. Fields has been a unionized company for 28 years. There was a time when we had a good contract and fair working conditions. Our plant is highly productive. In 1996 we set a company record, producing 10 million pairs of socks in one month.
But times have changed. Fairness is out. Union-busting is the new corporate style. This company has launched a concerted attack on the union and workers' rights.
Incentive rates have been cut by up to 38 percent. Arbitration
rulings against the company have been ignored. Our local union president
has been unjustly fired three times. Long-serving workers have been abused
and harassed. Last year the company claimed bankruptcy protection, then
turned around and started production back up with the same workers. This
"bankruptcy" was used to impose takebacks in wages, benefits and other
working conditions. But they're still not satisfied.
All of the production workers at J.B. Fields are women.
We've been asked to accept additional pay cuts of 20 percent. In contrast,
the nine men at the plant, who are considered "skilled" workers, have lost
less than 4 percent of their pay. Management has clearly targeted
women to shoulder the burden of cost cutting. This company has shown contempt
for women and our basic human rights.
Our fight isn't about money. We're fighting for basic union principles. The company's "final offer" would gut the collective agreement of key provisions dealing with seniority, union representation and job security.
They want the right to fire any employee simply for failing to meet production quotas - quotas which management will set arbitrarily and unilaterally, with no grievance procedure as a safeguard.
They want the union out. We're fighting back.
Send financial support to: Local 1764 UNITE, 3-63 North Murray Street, Trenton, Ontario, K8V 2E5
Write or call the company and tell them to treat their
workers fairly: Kris Murphy, president, J.B. Fields Inc., 390 Sydney
Street, Trenton, Ontario K8V 5R7, fax: (613) 394-0278,
toll free: 1-800-233-9842
