LAID-OFF WORKERS EXTEND HUNGER STRIKE TO MONDAY.Byline: Deborah Adamson Daily News Staff Writer Extending their protest through the holiday, five former Price Pfister Price Pfister is an American manufacturer of faucets and other plumbing products since 1915. It is known most by its odd name, and its advertisements which make note of its "pfaucet with a pfunny name". employees vowed to continue their hunger strike hunger strike, refusal to eat as a protest against existing conditions. Although most often used by prisoners, others have also employed it. For example, Mohandas Gandhi in India and Cesar Chavez in California fasted as religious penance during otherwise political or into next week. The fast, which started Nov. 21, was supposed to end Wednesday. It was extended to Monday to coincide with the next round of union negotiations with Price Pfister management. The former workers are calling for a better severance package A severance package is pay and benefits an employee receives when they leave employment at a company. In addition to the employee's remaining regular pay, it may include some of the following:
Sitting underneath a black tarp propped up against a trailer outside Price Pfister's plant on the corner of Sutter Avenue and Paxton Street, the five laid-off workers huddle under blankets and other covering. The three women have been sleeping in a worn-out trailer while the two men sleep in vans. They haven't showered. But they wash their hair daily, wipe down their bodies and change into fresh clothes. Despite their discomfort, they say they're determined to fight on. ``I will be here until the whole thing is resolved,'' said Luis Cruz, a 35-year-old former assembler Software that translates assembly language into machine language. Contrast with compiler, which is used to translate a high-level language, such as COBOL or C, into assembly language first and then into machine language. who had been with Price Pfister for eight years. ``I'll stay until I get taken to the hospital.'' Black & Decker Corp., the Towson, Md.-based parent of Price Pfister, has refused to comment on the situation. Earlier this year, 300 workers in the foundry and related jobs were laid off as the company began moving operations to its plant in Mexicali. City officials who dealt with the company said the corporate goal was to cut costs. Foundry workers in Pacoima made from $7 to $16 an hour plus benefits. Mexicali workers make about $7 a day, union leaders said. Price Pfister was forced to change its method of producing plumbing products and accessories to conform to Verb 1. conform to - satisfy a condition or restriction; "Does this paper meet the requirements for the degree?" fit, meet coordinate - be co-ordinated; "These activities coordinate well" state environmental regulations. The new technique was more expensive than the former method. As for severance, the company has offered to pay employees half a week's pay and one week's worth of medical benefits for every year of service. Union leaders seek at least one week's pay and one week's worth of medical benefits for every year of service, plus retraining re·train tr. & intr.v. re·trained, re·train·ing, re·trains To train or undergo training again. re·train and relocation services Relocation services or "employee relocation" includes a range of internal business processes that are engaged to transfer employees (and often their families) or entire departments of a business to a new work location. . Union leaders also want the company to offer the package to all workers they laid off since Jan. 1. Price Pfister has refused to do so, they said. Workers began the hunger strike to pressure the firm into giving more. About 200 people staged a protest march in front of the plant Thursday morning. By midday
Many of these people decided to fast for the day to show their solidarity and support for the hunger strikers, said Felix Hernandez, an international organizer for the Teamsters Union Teamsters Union, U.S. labor union formed in 1903 by the amalgamation of the Team Drivers International Union and the Teamsters National Union. Its full name is the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, Chauffeurs, Warehousemen, and Helpers of America (IBT). . ``A lot of them feel they don't have a lot to give thanks for today,'' he said. ``They are giving thanks for the hunger strikers who are making the sacrifice.'' Other groups also dropped by to show their support to the hunger strikers and laid-off workers. They included a group of about 30 traditional Aztec dancers and Cal State Northridge students who donated about 100 pounds of beans and rice to the laid-off workers. Claudia Molina, a 38-year-old former assembler who had been with the company for almost 10 years, said she was saddened by the lack of response from the company. Assuming that all 300 employees made top pay of $16 an hour, worked a 40-hour week and have 10 years of service, the cost to Black & Decker would be $2 million, plus 2-1/2 months of health care coverage. Black & Decker has $4.8 billion in annual sales. Molina said things took a turn for the worse when Black & Decker took over the company. Health care premiums rose and other benefits were slashed slash v. slashed, slash·ing, slash·es v.tr. 1. To cut or form by cutting with forceful sweeping strokes: slash a path through the underbrush. 2. , she said. Price Pfister workers have given 45 Ralphs supermarket gift certificates worth $15 each to the families of the hunger strikers. The company had distributed these certificates for the holiday. But the strikers said they will feed on juices and other liquids until next week. There is still something to be thankful thank·ful adj. 1. Aware and appreciative of a benefit; grateful. 2. Expressive of gratitude: a thankful smile. for, Cruz said. ``We give thanks for having physical strength and the support of friends and family,'' he said. CAPTION(S): Photo Photo: The Rev. Luciano Anton prays with hunger strikers Luis Cruz, Victoria Sevilla and Claudia Molina Cordova Cordova, Spain: see Córdoba. outside the Price Pfister plant in Pacoima. Phil McCarten/Daily News |
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