From: nyxfer%panix.com@MIZZOU1.missouri.edu (N.Y. Transfer)
Subject: NEWS: Teamsters Stage Tea Party in Boston Harbor/WW
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Originator: daemon@pencil.cs.missouri.edu
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Resent-From: "Rich Winkel" <MATHRICH@MIZZOU1.missouri.edu>
Date: Tue, 15 Sep 1992 19:27:38 GMT



Via The NY Transfer News Service ~ All the News that Doesn't Fit

           Teamsters stage "tea party" in Boston Harbor

                       By Stevan Kirschbaum
                 Vice President, USWA Local 8751
                             Boston

Over 250 unionists and their supporters rallied at the site of
the historic Boston Tea Party on Labor Day to demand justice for
the workers of Burke Distributing Corp., the area distributor of
all Miller Beer beverages. The workers, members of Teamsters
Local 122, have been negotiating for a new contract since August
1991.

Local 122 Secretary-Treasurer John Murphy says Burke Distributing
has brought in the notorious union-busting West Coast Industrial
Relations in an effort to force a concession  contract down the
throats of the workers, including a wage freeze and cuts in
pensions. West Coast has rammed through more than 30 concession
contracts on other Teamster locals, and an equal number of union
decertification drives. Burke's hiring of West Coast was a clear
declaration of war against Local 122.

Boycott Miller beer

Local 122 has called for a boycott of Miller beer in order to
apply economic pressure on Burke to agree to a fair and equitable
contract. A dramatic highlight of today's action was the dumping
of gallons of Miller beer into Boston Harbor.

Murphy explained to the rally that the turnout today was the
result of tireless efforts on the part of the local and its
supporters to unite with the community. "In these times the
unions cannot go it alone. We must forge a new coalition
involving labor and the communities if we want to win our
rights," said Murphy.

Wide labor support

Leaders of the Massachusetts AFL-CIO and the Greater Boston Labor
Council pledged their support for Local 122. They brought a
delegation to the demonstration from the Boston Labor Day
Breakfast. Many area Teamster locals sent large delegations. The
telephone workers, IBEW Local 2222, IUE Local 201, United
Electrical Workers District 2, flight attendants union, SEIU
Locals 509 and 285, AFSCME and many more were present.

Steven Gillis, USWA Local 8751 executive board member and one of
the School Bus Union 3 (see accompanying article), expressed his
local's wholehearted solidarity and thanked the Teamsters for
their help. "The Teamsters, whether here in Boston or at the
Pittsburgh Press, have been an inspiration to us. Your example is
showing the union movement how to deal with scabs and how to
fight back in these hard times."

Pat Casey, wife of one of the Burke workers, built a daily
support picket of one person into mass picketing. She told the
crowd that we in the unions must take back what is rightfully
ours. The workers must fight back against the "corporate thieves"
for the sake of our families' future, said Casey.

For more information on the boycott, contact Teamsters Local 122
at (617) 247-0251.


(Copyright Workers World Service: Permission to reprint granted
if source is cited. For more info contact Workers World,46 W. 21
St., New York, NY 10010; "workers@igc.apc.org".)

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