WITH A PUSH from PACE Region Four Vice President Bob Smith, based here, boycott activity against Crown Central Petroleum is building at the hundreds of Crown stations in southeastern states. People are willing to do whatever it takes to win this fight for the workers locked out by Crown. The rapid buildup in Virginia came after strong signals that the company would sell itself off or merge, in part because of the long-running labor dispute. Broaddus, who is coordinating boycott efforts in Virginia out of the PACE regional office, has recruited local unions to adopt a station for regular picketing or hand-billing.
Locals often schedule an action after each monthly or bimonthly union meeting.
Arlene Long and her husband Edison, are personally targeting a station right down the street from their home. Speakers at the Richmond rally and mobilization meeting included state AFL-CIO President Daniel LeBlanc, state Assembly Delegate Jack Hall and A. Philip Randolph Inst. Hardy Smith, one of the 252 members of PACE Local 4-227 locked out three years ago at Crown's Pasadena, Texas, refinery, spoke for victims and their families. Six months of concerted activity in Baltimore has begun to chisel away the company's image as a leading citizen. In addition to the labor dispute, Crown faces a major civil rights lawsuit charging discrimination against minorities and women in the workplace.