The Strike of the Century Continues

I have one request for anyone who believes in fair compensation for America's workers: take a moment to tell your family and friends about the Mott's strike.

By now, you've probably heard a word or two about the 300 person-strong, hundred-day strike that's taken Williamson, New York, by storm. Make no mistake: this isn't your ordinary, "don't cut my paycheck" tussle. This is, as the New York Times so eloquently put it, "a high-stakes confrontation between a company that wants to cut its labor costs, even as it is earning record profits, and workers who are determined to resist demands for wage and benefit givebacks."

In short, the Mott's strike is a modern-day David versus Goliath — and it's unfolding right in front of our eyes.

Here's what you need to know: Dr. Pepper Snapple (DPS), the new owner of Mott's, made record profits last year. But because the overall economy is shot to pieces, DPS executives decided to slash employee pay anyway — or, in the politically correct terminology of DPS spokesperson Chris Barnes, to bring employee costs down to "local and industry standards." Tell Mott's execs you stand with the workers.

Perhaps Stuart Appelbaum, president of the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union, said it best. "Companies have asked for concessions throughout the history of the labor movement because they've faced hard times and needed help to survive." But what about the financially prosperous DPS? "They don't even show the respect to lie to us. They just came in and said, 'We have no financial need for this, but we just want it anyway because we figure we can get away with it.'"

Talk about a miscalculation. Three months of striking and hundreds of news stories later, DPS had quite the mess on its hands. So just last week, the company agreed to return to the bargaining table — only to once again insult workers by suggesting unnecessary pay and pension cuts. Unsurprisingly, union members took the high ground and voted no.

An online comment from Chloe Bennett, a union insider, lends insight into the workers' decision to reject the proposal:

"When you give people who have been on strike for over 100 days 24 hours notice to attend a meeting and then direct them to vote on the latest proposal immediately, they will most likely vote no. The latest offer was not negotiated by any of the Local 220 negotiating committee." (Her detailed description of DPS' unfair offer can be found here.)

And really, what is there to negotiate? DPS has gotten rich off the backs of Mott's employees. And even with workers' above-average salaries, DPS has reaped its biggest profit ever — in the midst of a debilitating recession. This is the time to celebrate workers for their contributions, not punish them with pay cuts.

If you agree, take my post-Labor Day challenge and tell your friends and family about Mott's. Let's build a mountain of support behind the 300 striking Mott's workers and help them get their jobs — and their full salaries — back. While you're at it, send a letter to Mott's executives threatening an apple sauce strike in support of the workers.

Photo credit: Smabs Sputzer