We’ve got a lot of young guys now who got to see firsthand what being a union is all about.
Photos from the L-1600 lockout picket line. L-1600 Boilermakers went back to work on January 27.
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BREAKING NEWS: Boilermakers from Local 1600 (St. Charles, Illinois) went back to work yesterday, Jan. 27, after Toyal American Inc. locked out union members just before Christmas. Read about what caused the lockout here. More details about gains earned by L-1600 will come in a future article.
“We’ve got a lot of young guys now who got to see firsthand what being a union is all about. They were really impressed when they saw that people—especially other unions—didn’t cross our picket line. They were impressed with everyone coming down to stand with us from International, from our Rep Miguel Fonseca to [Executive Director-ISO] Don Hamric and IVP Dan Sulivan. Even the business manager from Local 1 (Chicago), Eric Davis, came out here. They saw that the International provided relief funds to help us and all the support provided to us. Some of us have been around a while, and we’ve been through this before. But for these guys—now they know what the union is.” – Tom Fatigante, L-1600 president
“The company was attempting to implement significant increases in insurance premiums. I am proud of all the members, who remained united in their singular objective: to control the narrative surrounding any premium hikes. Despite the frigid temperatures that reached a wind chill of 40 below zero, they stood resolute every day representing the L-1600 Boilermakers.” – Miguel Fonseca, International Rep
“These guys kicked ass, and IR Miguel Fonseca did a great job. If I’ve ever seen a display of solidarity, it was there. They stuck it out. They weren’t willing to budge. They knew what they wanted and what was fair. Brother Fatigante kept the guys encouraged through it all, because he had the knowledge and foresight to know what they would gain by sticking it out and staying together.”—Dan Sulivan, IVP-Great Lakes
