LIQUOR
STRIKE BECOMES A MEMORIAL DAY LOCKOUT
COMPANY THREATENS FIRINGS
Picketer
hit by Luce truck in Sparks
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HAPPY MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND — Striking / locked-out
Teamsters in front of the Luce & Son, Inc., liquor distribution
warehouse in northeast Reno near UNR.
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NevadaLabor.com strike report
News and comment from the trenches
by
Andrew Barbano
It
was necessary to destroy the village in order to save it?
RENO, Nevada (Thursday,
May 27, 2004, 4:37 p.m. PDT ) — In
the spirit of good customer service, liquor distributor Luce & Son
is making sure its experienced workers won't be there to deliver it.
Striking Teamsters will voluntarily end their two-day strike as planned
today, but have been notified that the company will lock them out of
their jobs until Tuesday.
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ON THIS DAY IN LABOR HISTORY
In
1969, Las Vegas dancers and show "girls" marched from the Strip
to their union hall to demonstrate support for their union leaders,
accused by the casinos of not having the workers' support in wage
negotiations.
Courtesy
of Poor Denny's Almanac
|
A letter received by the
union from Luce & Son President Gerald F. Hicks, Jr., stated
"There will be no need for any additional staffing before 6:00
AM, Tuesday, June 1, 2004. At that time, strikers may report for work
with the following understanding: The Union's tactic represented by
your letter (of May 25) has all the earmarks of an unprotected work
stoppage. Employees who engage in an unprotected work stoppage are subject
to discharge. Please be advised that if there is a recurrence of this
or similar tactics, the Company will consider it an unprotected intermittent
action, and any participants will be subject to discharge. Please be
further advised that if strikers do not report for work on Tuesday,
June 1, 2004, as stated above, they will be subject to permanent replacement."
The letter indicates that it was also sent to "all bargaining unit
employees."
Mr. Hicks began with rather curious language, which often occurs when
too many out-of-state lawyers get their fingers in the pie. He wrote
"For the remainder of this week, work schedules have been developed
and all work activity is being handled to satisfy our customers."
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RAT PATROL
|
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Picketing
deliveries
at Albertson's/SavOn
in central Reno
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Nowhere does he state that
customers are receiving normal levels of service on one of the biggest
holiday weekends of the year. The strike has not only caused delays,
but also outright stoppage of deliveries as UPS, baked goods and other
drivers throughout the region have refused to when seeing strikers picketing
Luce arrivals.
It appears that Mr. Hicks is being as upfront as possible with his customers,
if not his workers, given the hollow threat of firing. The union has
filed numerous charges of illegal unfair labor practices in this dispute,
triggering the full protections of federal law.
This strike has now progressed from the strategic to the punitive. The
lockout also saves Mr. Hicks a substantial amount of weekend overtime,
which he might well want to expend to properly service his many customers.
The Teamsters have represented Luce & Son workers for many years.
The company distributes a wide range of popular products throughout
northwestern Nevada including Reno, Sparks, Carson City, Lake Tahoe,
Carson City, Minden-Gardnerville, Fallon and Fernley.
Because Luce is a subcontactor for Sierra
Liquor and Wine of Sparks, which alone markets more than 5,500 products,
the impact on area hotels, grocery stores and retail outlets is very
widespread. Silver State's supply line from Las Vegas has also been
affected because Teamsters drive the company's products from southern
Nevada.
Among the affected brands: all Miller
Beers*; Heineken and Foster's Lager; Inglenook and Almaden wines;
Smirnoff and Relska vodkas; Jack Daniel's bourbon; Jose Cuervo Tequila;
Christian Brothers Brandy; Southern Comfort, de Kuyper and Hiram Walker.
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The Teamsters represent 38 of
the 43 company employees in the affected bargaining group. The union's
contract with the company expired on Feb. 2.
TEAMSTERS UNION CONTACTS
Lou Martino, Secretary-Treasurer
Dan Montgomery, Ross Steffner, business representatives
(775) 348-6060
LUCE & SON, INC.
Gerald F. Hicks, Jr., President
(775) 785-7810
SILVER STATE LIQUOR AND WINE,
INC.
Ray Norvelle, Vice-President
Las Vegas (702) 735-9141
The
Nevada union beer drinker's lament
 |
The
holy grail
Hopped-up
verse copyright © 2004 Andrew Barbano
NevadaLabor.com brewski laureate
Apologies to Prof. Philip E. Levine for clumsily moving between
tetrameter and pentameter. It flows better when spoken, old
teacher. (The poetry flows better when spoken, not the beer.)
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Candy
is dandy but liquor is quicker
Said the witty Ogden Nash.
But the union beer drinker's in
a pickle
He can't even fix with cash.
Mighty Bud is union-made
But its distributor is rat.
Coors is Teamsters Union-trucked
But the brewer hates our guts.
Miller was the shining star,
The magic union label,
Union-brewed and union-sold,
Welcomed on our tables.
Then came black Tuesday —
Oh, the humanity!
The Teamsters walked on Luce.
Now there's no beer, far or near
A union man can choose.
What
are true-blue union guys to do
When
pickets sop their precious brew?
Shall we go without our daily bread
Unaccompanied
by that foamy head?
Let the industry hear this message
clear
About our precious suds.
It's much, much more than heartfelt,
It comes right from the gut.
We thirst
for thank-God Friday
When the Teamsters loose the juice.
Treat our brothers fairly,
Or risk the golden goose.
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TEAMSTERS
2008
Déjà vu all over again?
2004
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