Detroit cops put the boot in

Rob Sewell report from the Detroit News picket line

The temperature plummeted to well below zero. Up the road, about three hours drive, 40 inches of snow fell in Cleveland, Ohio. But as the freshwater lakes began to freeze at the edges, feelings on the picket-line were red hot.

The Detroit newspaper workers - locked-out now for 16 months - stage periodicguerrilla strikes (known as 'actions') against the bosses of The Free Press and The News to force them back to the negotiating table. Today, lightening pickets assembled outside The Free Press building to greet the newspaper's owner, Anthony Ridder, who was giving the management a secret pep talk on the first floor. Quickly the bosses were forced to switch the venue to another floor. But how the sound of loud-hailers and bull-horns can carry!

Just then the cops arrive - the specials - whose business it is to harass the pickets and generally make life difficult. They attempt to clear our banners and break up the picket. "Keep moving or you'll be taken downtown", howled the cop. He then made a series of demands to curb the protest. Everyday some new rule or other is announced by these guardians of law and order, threatening to disperse the picket under some pretext or other. "Move, my ass. They always do that", shouted an angry striker. "Every time we protest, they try to shut us down." As expected, pickets tend to confront this harassment by hurling dogs abuse at the cops. Sometimes there's a stand off, sometimes not. He turned to the cop and accused him of being in the company's pocket. "We've been out 16 months, so don't think you're gonna push us aside."

At the same time the goons (company security guards) were using video cameras at the front and rear of the building to record each picket for the company files and to gather evidence to legally fire workers.

Those scabs that cross the union picket line are also given verbal abuse by strikers. "You scabby bastards taking our jobs!" "Judas!" "Sold your soul to the company!" Ironical songs are made up to holler at the strike breakers.

That day, company goons seal up the front entrance, fearing some kind of attack. The head of company security - an ex-FBI man - lines up his men behind the door. Realising this is in contravention of the fire regulations, the picket captain gets on the mobile phone to inform the city fire department, demanding immediate action to 'protect' the locked in scabs in case of fire...

In a well-rehearsed action, pickets break up and surge around to the back entrance of the building where scabs are being let out. The goons are there with their dark glasses and video cameras. As soon as this happens, the cops pile in, saying that this public back alley is out of bounds to anyone with placards and those failing to comply will be arrested.

A scuffle breaks out as two cops nail a picket to the wall - face forward. He openly opposed their dictates earlier on. Despite protests from his fellow pickets, they smashed his loudhailer, forced his arms up his back, cuffed him, and arrested him on charges they failed to elaborate on. Hundreds have been arrested on this picket line, including the head of the AFL/CIO, John Sweeney and Maryanne Mahaffey, President Detroit City Council. The cops are not concerned, they simply do the bidding of the newspaper bosses. The city mayor could pull them off, but he's too scared of the bosses.

As the cops pinned the striker to the wall, I tried to take some pictures, but was blocked by another stone-faced patrolman, who put his hand in front of the camera and threatened me with arrest. Then as I stepped out into the street to photograph the two arresting officers putting the striker into their car, I was ordered by the cop to go to the sidewalk or I would also be arrested.

Arrest and pepper gas appear to be the favourite weapons of the Detroit police department.

Such is life on the Detroit newspaper picket line.

The Detroit Journal of the strikers is in the WWW at:

http://www.rust.net/~workers/union/union.htm

November, 1996