Striking OVACO Workers Gaining Widespread Community Support

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News From USW: Striking OVACO Workers Gaining Widespread Community Support

LOUISVILLE, Ky.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--News From USW: Workers on strike at Ohio Valley Aluminum Company (OVACO) in Shelbyville, Ky., have receive unprecedented encouragement and support from the Louisville community and beyond in the month-and-a-half labor dispute to gain their first union contract at the aluminum plant.

Since their strike began June 1, a broad array of civic, labor and community-based organizations have rallied to the cause of the OVACO workers and their quest for a voice in conditions of employment.

Teamsters, Machinists, Auto Workers, Teachers, Electronics and Communications Workers, Ironworkers, Operating Engineers, State, County and Municipal Employees, Food and Commercial Workers, Nurses and many other union members from the AFL-CIO labor federation actively participated in a mass rally July 11 at the Louisville corporate headquarters of OVACO’s holding company, Interlock Industries. Louisville’s Jobs with Justice Coalition – including religious groups like Interfaith Workers Justice and other community organizations – took part in that rally and vow to be increasingly involved in future campaign plans for the OVACO strike.

USW Local 1693 President Kevin Baird said 1,600 members of the local union who work at other area companies are donating time, money and other forms of support to the strikers. Aside from OVACO, Local 1693 represents workers at Alcoa, Hussey Cooper, American Synthetic Rubber, Tyson Foods, Bruce Fox, Clayton & Lambert, Millennium Forge, Revere Packaging,. Diego Distilleries (Makers Mark), Tube Ice, Turbo Refrigeration, Allied Drum, Henry Vogt, Dispenser Optical, Conco, Sypris Technologies, Cohart Refractory, General Shale, Noveils Rolling, Louisville Ladder and Hillerich & Bradsby (Louisville Slugger.)

In addition to the Steelworkers Strike & Defense Fund, thousands of dollars have been donated by working people to help sustain striking families through the hard times. USW District 8 Director Billy Thompson issued an appeal to Steelworkers members throughout Kentucky, Virginia, West Virginia and Maryland urging donations for OVACO workers. He said, “This dispute is not just about the folks at OVACO. It’s about defending every man and woman in America who chooses to have a union.”

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