Delta Dental Workers Strike in SF

Delta Dental clerical workers are on strike in San Francisco, with a picketline at First and Mission Streets, across from the East Bay Transit Terminal.

This picketline of mostly women, who are primarily black and Asian-American, is being enthusiastically received by the auto traffic on Mission Street, as drivers honk their horns to show support.

I suggest people also show their support by walking the picketline. It is a good lunchtime exercise.

The World Socialist Website has a good description of the strike and the demands at:
http://www.wsws.org/articles/2002/jul2002/lab-j23.shtml
Their description is:

"Delta Dental workers strike in California"

"Over 1,000 workers at Delta Dental, the nationwide private insurance provider, rejected the company’s final contract offer and struck July 16. Workers on the picket line chanted, 'Delta Dental, rich and rude, we don’t like your attitude.'"

"Workers, located at facilities in San Francisco and near Sacramento, oppose a longer workweek without additional compensation and, in particular, language that will take away time-and-a-half pay for Saturdays. The company is offering a 9 percent pay raise in return for increasing the workweek from 37.5 hours to 40 hours. The company is also seeking to implement a Tuesday through Saturday workweek for some of its employees."

"Delta Dental is California’s largest provider of dental benefits with 24 percent of the market. Despite this position it is asking for a cap of $2,000 on annual dental benefits for workers who previously had no limits, and increased co-payments toward the plan. Workers presently earn between $14 and $16.70 an hour. At this stage, there are no plans for renewed talks."