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Chicago Solidarity Support Meeting For "Cleveland Five"
Source labornet@labornet.igc.org
Date 08/01/19/22:41

2/2/2008 Chicago Solidarity Support Meeting
For "Cleveland Five" UAW3520 Freightliner Strike Leaders

Chicago Workers:
There is a rising Rank-n-file movement you need to know about. Please join us for a solidarity meeting to help these brave union brothers and sisters and learn about their struggle for justice!

Rank and File Labor Solidarity Meeting
With Member of the Cleveland 5-UAW 3520 Freightliner Fired Strike Leaders &
Mike Griffin, War Zone Educational Foundation & UBC Rank & File Member
Music by Labor Troubadour Bucky Halker

Saturday February 2, 2008 7:00 PM
UE Hall
37 Ashland, Chicago, Illinois

Free

Sponsored by Chicago supporters of The "Cleveland Five"
For information call
773-935-5255
ckaihatsu@gmail.com

The Cleveland Five are members of the 2007 Bargaining Committee and Executive Board for United Auto Workers (UAW) Local 3520, Cleveland, NC. at a truck plant. On April 2, 2007 their recently organized plant Local's Strike Committee voted to strike. On April 3rd, 2007 (5) five of the Bargaining Committee and executive board members were terminated by our employer along with (5) five other officers and (1)
one rank and file member of our Union for instigating and/or supporting and/or participating
in an unauthorized work stoppage. At the time of our terminations our collective
bargaining agreement had expired. The UAW International and Freightliner LLC negotiated a contract and sent us back to work but 5 of the strike leaders have been fired. Their unemployment ran out at the end of December and they are waiting for an expedited arbitration which is guaranteed in the contract. Freightliner was more profitable in 2006 than all other years combined. Freightliner LLC is owned by the German auto manufacturer Daimler Benz and Freightliner Truck Manufacturing Plant in Cleveland, N.C. with 1700 workers is a very important plant for this company.

We hope that by telling our story pressure will be placed on Freightliner, LLC and
will also encourage the UAW International to pay us strike pay and healthcare benefits for being discharged for union activity. This struggle is not just about us, but the future of organizing in the South. If a company can victimize rank and file union leadership of a unionized plant this will hinder and threaten all other organizing efforts in the South. Workers who want to become unionized will look at this and decide it is too dangerous.
Please come to this support meeting and learn directly about their struggle. This effort has also been recently endorsed by Ken Riley, president of ILA 1422 in Charleston, South Carolina and Donna Dewitt, President of the South Carolina AFL-CIO. These trade unionists were leaders of the fight to Free The "Charleston Five" case of longshore workers.

You can go to the web page of the Cleveland Five support website at
www.justice4five.com
No Justice, No Solidarity

Who We Are:
Robert Whiteside - Member of the Volunteer Organizing Committee (VOC) UAW local
3520 Shop Chair/Bargaining Chair, Executive Board Member, 13 year Employee of Freightliner.
Married, father of 3
Allen Bradley - Member of the (VOC) UAW local 3520 Skilled Trades Chair/Skilled
Trades District Rep, UAW Total Productive Maintenance Facilitator for Skilled Trades,
Vice Chair Bargaining Committee, 10 year Employee of Freightliner. Married, father
of 2
Franklin Torrence - Member of the (VOC), Civil Rights Chair, Bargaining Committee
Member, 34th annual Constitutional Convention Delegate, V.P. Region 8 Civil and
Human Rights Advisory Council, local 3520 CAP committee, District 102 Alternate
Rep. Chair of Trustees, Executive Board member, 15 year Employee of freightliner.
Glenna Swinford - Member of the (VOC) Local Trustee, Executive Board Member, Bargaining
Committee member, C0/Chair Civil/Human Rights Committee, member of Womenıs Committee,
27 year Employee of freightliner. Married, Mother of 1
David Crisco - District Rep, Bargaining Committee member, Civil/Human Rights Committee,
3 year employee of Freightliner. Married, Father of 1

[View the list]