In May of 1999 over 5,000 construction workers participated on an illegal, unsanctioned 4-day strike. Most of Northern California's major construction job-sites were closed down. It was set in the background of two colliding elements: a booming economy and a weak contract that was forced on the members of the Carpenters Union by their union leaders.
Day One happened almost five days before the strike at the Carpenters Regional Council, a representative body, dominated by full-time appointed staff wher delegates were due to vote on the contract.
Over a hundred non-delegate carpenters showed up on Saturday May 15th to protest the weak concessionary contract the union was proposing. The contract included a small wage gain coupled with no morning coffee break (allowing employers to work you 5-hours without a break) and a no-overtime Saturday in the event of rain during the week.
People were pissed. Not being allowed to vote on your own contract was one thing, not being allowed to go into our "rep council" to hear the debate simply enraged people. One worker noticed that delegates were being given a cheap red sticker for ID, so he popped down to the nearest drug store and got a bunch. The general feeling was that they've stolen our right to vote, so we will stop this charade any way we can.
At some point all the delegates were in and we were all locked out. We were chanting, "No! No! NO!" The door to the hall was closed, so the delegates wouldn't be disturbed by the mob. This may have been the last straw. A group of us passed the word that we were going to rush the door. Enthusiasm for an invasion was pretty unanimous.
The Regional Council's thugs manning the door had no clue we were going to rush them. First one member rushed through, then another, then a flood of members filled the hallway that connected the outside to the inside of the hall. Reinforcements from the Council failed to damn up the corridor as we packed into the hall. We were surrounded by dozens of full-time staff as we continued to yell, "No! No! No!" I remember the utter shock of the delegates, even the rank and file delegates. They had no real idea how pissed off the members were.
The business of the Council was halted temporarily and then the pushing and shoving began and we were slowly, elbows and shoulders flailing, pushed back to the entrance. We'd made our point and scared the crap out of the machine. The Machine that'd refused us the right to vote on our own contract. The Machine that sold us out with a piss poor contract.
As we re-assmbled outside. We knew we had made a mark on events. Nothing like this had happened before. We were keen to ratchet up this fight. Most of the workers from the Airport site were ready to start organizing a strike. "They want to strike out at the Airport," we were told. The anger was there. The determination was there. We agreed to meet on Monday after work in the parking lot of Local 713. It was at that tailgate meeting of about 150 workers that we set about the plan to close down all job-sites until we got a better contract or the right to vote this one down.
Saturday May 15th was the beginning.
Rob Rooke
Former Recording Secretary Local 713
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