Cooper workers to participate in ‘justice’ road trip

The lockout at Cooper Tire & Rubber’s Findlay plant in the US state of Ohio has been in effect for almost three months now. And while the tyre maker is keeping quiet about how or even if it plans to reach a mutually acceptable agreement with the United Steelworkers union, the situation is being kept in the public eye by the union. On 15 February the USW announced a joint project with the Bakery, Confectionery, Tobacco Workers, and Grain Millers International Union (BCTGM). Called “From Fargo to Findlay: A Journey for Justice”, the project involves locked out workers from Findlay and a BCTGM represented factory embarking on a road trip from Fargo, North Dakota (where the aforementioned factory is located) to Findlay. The USW says the road trip’s aim is to “focus attention on the most recent wave of greed-motivated corporate attacks on workers and their unions.”

USW and BCTGM members will travel over 1,000 miles through six US states in six days, participating in rallies, fundraisers, and direct actions with local union members and allies along the way. The ‘Journey for Justice’ will get underway on 22 February.