Safeway Protest a Study in Contrasts

Today's protest at Safeway was a study in contrasts.

The Central Labor Council (CLC) put this one together along with the state federation of labor. The turnout was a bit larger than the previous one here - maybe up to 1000 this time.

Along with some others, we had been discussing carrying the rally into the store, but we heard that the leadership was planning some sort of civil disobedience. We heard that they didn't want us to "upstage" them. We also heard that they were negotiating with the cops, making a deal as far as how things were going to work.

We rallied first in a park about a mile away from the store. There were several strikers who spoke and told their stories. Then we were treated to listen to Ignacio de la Fuente, president of the Oakland City Council. De la Fuente stated several times that the Oakland city council was "pro business". Through some sort of twisted logic he found a way to explain that he was still on the side of the unions in this strike, though. I was standing next to a picket I know and pointed out what he was saying. "How can he be for us and pro busienss at the same time?" I asked. "Business takes its profit out of our hide." He agreed with me of course. After a series of other speeches, we started of marching. Half of the crowd was on the siewalk on one side of the street; half on the other. An agreement had been reached with the cops, you see, that we would not block traffic.

The mood was pretty loud, despite the fact that we were split up. As we marched, we were chanting. One chant as "Boycott... Safeway!" As we got closer to the store, a couple of us took up the chant, but with a slightly different wording. "SHUT DOWN... Safeway" we yelled.

This started to take hold around us and others started chanting the same.

Those of us in the Direct Action to Stop the War had agreed to go into the store. This took place after a long debate within the group. Originally the majority in this group argued adamantly that we should do what the official leadership wanted us to do. However, in the park at the start of the rally a couple of strikers came over, and they directly said that they'd like us to go into the store.

So into the store we went, when we arrived there.

We were met with security who told us all that we were trespassing and that we'd be arrested, but we marched on anyway, passing out leaflets and chanting as we went.

Then an official of the CLC came rushing in. This is a guy who's never been a rank and file member of any union. He's a private investigator who works often for union lawyers and has been made a member of some union or another in order to be able to serve on the CLC. "You have to leave here; you're going to ruin everything," he told us. "This is not part of the agreement we made." !!!

Yes he actually said this!

Anyway, we had all agreed that we were going to try to avoid arrests, so we did leave the store. But there was this huge crowd outside the store, standing in the parking lot chanting and yelling. Meanwhile, a few customers walked in without being stopped. Then a few of us stood in the doorway. We got a few more people to join us, and for a brief moment we actually were phsically blocking people from entering. But those who'd organized the event did nothing to get the crowd closer to the doors, so eventually we had to abandon our blockade.

While all this was goingon, however, this large crowd was standing outside chanting and making a huge racket. It was clear that a lot of people were rally fired up. At one point a guy in a business suit came out with a basket full of groceries he'd bought. People gathered round him yelling "shame! shame!" He tried to get through the crowd, but there was no exit. Then he tried to reverse course and get through another way. I just happened to be standing right in his way. He had one hell of a time getting round me, and even then, he had a hard time maneuvering his cart over my foot.

Just as it seemed he might not get through at all, one of the security guys stepped forward. When I say "security" I don't mean store security - this was a security guy for the protest. Poetic justice, I guess - this was a business representative for the Carpeners Union. The business rep helped guide this scab through the protest!

After almost an hour, a group of the leaders sat down in the middle of the parking lot. This was all planned with the cops, who gently led them away one-by-one. They were cited and released on the spot. (We were told that their huge worry was that if we messed up their deal, that they might have to spend the weekend in jail!!!)

Anyway, this was how it went here in Oakland. Huge potential, and even greater failure by the union leadership. Of course, had they really taken advantage of that potential - say by marching us all into the store - it would have ruined their relationship with such "friends" as de la Fuente. Lord save us from that disaster.