South Bay Area Quarry Workers on Strike

Quarry workers are on strike in the Bay Area. A total of 420 workers, including mechanics, laborers, Teamsters and operating engineers, at the height of the construction season in the San Jose, Monterey-Santa Cruz, San Francisco Bay Area are on stirke against Graniterock Company over the right to strike.

From: http://www.wsws.org/articles/2004/jul2004/wkrs-j27.shtml
Quarry workers strike expanded in California
Some 220 workers represented by the Operating Engineers Local 3 walked off the job July 19, joining other striking workers at the Graniterock Company’s quarries and operation divisions in the Monterey and San Francisco Bay areas. The strike has been provoked by Graniterock’s proposal to insert contract language into a new labor agreement that prohibits workers’ right to strike.

The company and union negotiators also failed to agree on wages and issues dealing with the grievance procedure. The union has also charged that the company pulled out of tentative agreements reached in earlier negotiations. In all, about 420 workers have gone on strike.

The walkout first began back on June 9 when 20 members of the Teamsters union in San Jose struck after the company proposed a wage package that was $3 per hour less than the rate of workers at other locations in Silicon Valley. Other unions involved in the labor dispute are the International Association of Machinists and the Laborers Union.

Further information may be found at the 7/24/04 San Jose Mercury News story by Lisa Fernandez at
http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/news/local/9233605.htm?1c