Caught in the Corporate Feeding Frenzy
These Texas steelworkers are fighting back against the global elites racing them to the bottom.
The "human resources" departments of huge corporations are known for issuing helpful bulletins to employees, such as this old joke: "The beatings will continue until morale improves."
Beatings of workers these days take the form of slashing wages and benefits, offshoring jobs, busting unions, and generally disparaging and disrespecting the people who produce their products. It's a heck of a way to run a business.
Consider the hellacious greed of Glencore, the 10th largest corporation in the world. Never heard of it? That's no surprise -- it doesn't put its name on much. But it's one of several mega-corporations in the new global economy that snarf up brand names and suck out profits.
Glencore, a $233-billion, Swiss commodities conglomerate, gobbled up the Sherwin Alumina metals company in 2007, buying it from the Alcoa aluminum corporation (which, in 2001, swallowed the aluminum producer Reynolds).
Caught in this frenzy of corporate feasting are 450 Sherwin Alumina steelworkers in Gregory, Texas. They're top-quality producers of aluminum. In 2014, however, the highly profitable Swiss conglomerate rewarded their productivity by demanding deep cuts in their pay and benefits.
When the members of the Steelworkers union rejected this insulting proposal, Glencore's henchmen locked the 450 workers out of the plant, hoping to break their morale and bully them into accepting the raw deal.
But this ploy only intensified the workers' resolve to reject such gross unfairness. They turned their picket line into a symbolic stand against global corporate elites who've adopted anti-worker thuggishness as a normal business practice and a core corporate value.
Now Sherwin Alumina has filed for bankruptcy, but these workers aren't letting them off the hook: Their union secured a place at the table among the company's creditors. The gutsy steelworkers in Gregory, Texas aren't only standing up for themselves -- but also for you, me, and workaday people everywhere.
We are at a crossroads
This country and this world are at a monumental crossroads. In a few short weeks, US voters will have an opportunity to beat back the forces of fascism and confront the billionaires who are rigging the economy, our media system, and our democracy, making it increasingly impossible for ordinary people to get by. We’re not just talking about the election. We’re talking about what must be done once these fascist elements are vanquished from power. We need a bolder set of solutions than what either major party has so far been willing to offer and a working-class movement ready to fight like hell for it. Trump didn't emerge from nowhere. The conditions that fueled MAGA authoritarianism were created by decades of radical neoliberal economic policies and a corrupt political system dominated by corporate interests. They slashed taxes on the super-rich, promising that the benefits would trickle down. They said giveaways to the corporate titans would make life more affordable for the rest of us. It was all bullshit. And when a bitter, betrayed populace searches for someone to blame, right-wing demagogues have little trouble finding scapegoats. People know when they're being lied to, but you won't hear any of this from the corporate media. Only independent journalism—powered and funded by people who believe in building a better world—can deliver truly trustworthy daily news. Our Fall Campaign is underway, and we need your help. To power our newsroom through the rest of the year, we need to raise $125,000 by midnight on October 31. So if you share our vision, please contribute whatever you can to sustain our work. |
The "human resources" departments of huge corporations are known for issuing helpful bulletins to employees, such as this old joke: "The beatings will continue until morale improves."
Beatings of workers these days take the form of slashing wages and benefits, offshoring jobs, busting unions, and generally disparaging and disrespecting the people who produce their products. It's a heck of a way to run a business.
Consider the hellacious greed of Glencore, the 10th largest corporation in the world. Never heard of it? That's no surprise -- it doesn't put its name on much. But it's one of several mega-corporations in the new global economy that snarf up brand names and suck out profits.
Glencore, a $233-billion, Swiss commodities conglomerate, gobbled up the Sherwin Alumina metals company in 2007, buying it from the Alcoa aluminum corporation (which, in 2001, swallowed the aluminum producer Reynolds).
Caught in this frenzy of corporate feasting are 450 Sherwin Alumina steelworkers in Gregory, Texas. They're top-quality producers of aluminum. In 2014, however, the highly profitable Swiss conglomerate rewarded their productivity by demanding deep cuts in their pay and benefits.
When the members of the Steelworkers union rejected this insulting proposal, Glencore's henchmen locked the 450 workers out of the plant, hoping to break their morale and bully them into accepting the raw deal.
But this ploy only intensified the workers' resolve to reject such gross unfairness. They turned their picket line into a symbolic stand against global corporate elites who've adopted anti-worker thuggishness as a normal business practice and a core corporate value.
Now Sherwin Alumina has filed for bankruptcy, but these workers aren't letting them off the hook: Their union secured a place at the table among the company's creditors. The gutsy steelworkers in Gregory, Texas aren't only standing up for themselves -- but also for you, me, and workaday people everywhere.
The "human resources" departments of huge corporations are known for issuing helpful bulletins to employees, such as this old joke: "The beatings will continue until morale improves."
Beatings of workers these days take the form of slashing wages and benefits, offshoring jobs, busting unions, and generally disparaging and disrespecting the people who produce their products. It's a heck of a way to run a business.
Consider the hellacious greed of Glencore, the 10th largest corporation in the world. Never heard of it? That's no surprise -- it doesn't put its name on much. But it's one of several mega-corporations in the new global economy that snarf up brand names and suck out profits.
Glencore, a $233-billion, Swiss commodities conglomerate, gobbled up the Sherwin Alumina metals company in 2007, buying it from the Alcoa aluminum corporation (which, in 2001, swallowed the aluminum producer Reynolds).
Caught in this frenzy of corporate feasting are 450 Sherwin Alumina steelworkers in Gregory, Texas. They're top-quality producers of aluminum. In 2014, however, the highly profitable Swiss conglomerate rewarded their productivity by demanding deep cuts in their pay and benefits.
When the members of the Steelworkers union rejected this insulting proposal, Glencore's henchmen locked the 450 workers out of the plant, hoping to break their morale and bully them into accepting the raw deal.
But this ploy only intensified the workers' resolve to reject such gross unfairness. They turned their picket line into a symbolic stand against global corporate elites who've adopted anti-worker thuggishness as a normal business practice and a core corporate value.
Now Sherwin Alumina has filed for bankruptcy, but these workers aren't letting them off the hook: Their union secured a place at the table among the company's creditors. The gutsy steelworkers in Gregory, Texas aren't only standing up for themselves -- but also for you, me, and workaday people everywhere.