Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, November 13, 1993 TAG: 9311160274
SECTION: BUSINESS PAGE: A-6 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: PEORIA, ILL. LENGTH: Medium
The walkout began at the company's Mossville plant Thursday and had spread by Friday to five other Caterpillar plants in Illinois and one in York, Pa., said Jim O'Connor, an international service representative of the United Auto Workers.
Kenneth Long, president of Carter Machinery Co. Inc. in Salem, said the strike ``doesn't affect us.'' Carter Machinery is a subsidiary of Caterpillar Inc.
``No [Caterpillar] dealer has anything to do with what's going on in Peoria,'' Long said.
Picketing was peaceful and law enforcement authorities reported no disturbances.
Caterpillar, the world's largest maker of earth-moving equipment, acknowledged there had been a walkout. Spokesman Keith Butterfield said the company was encouraging workers to report to their jobs as normal today.
``The union appears to be continuing to pursue activity to force their patterned, economic demands,'' Butterfield said in a statement. ``We think those activities place our employees in an unnecessary risk position.'' The statement did not explain what that meant.
The strike is the latest chapter in a protracted battle between union and management of Caterpillar. The two have been involved in a bitter standoff since April 1992, when the company broke a 163-day strike and implemented its final contract offer, affecting the union's 14,500 members.
Workers began walking off the job after Wednesday's suspension of union representative George Boze at Caterpillar's Mossville plant. Union officials said Boze was told to leave his job while filing a grievance against the company.
Union Local 974 President Jerry Brown in East Peoria said the action ``is plain and simple harassment of a union officer and it is illegal.''
O'Connor said workers at plants in East Peoria, Mapleton, Pontiac, Decatur and Aurora joined the strike Friday, as did about 1,500 workers at the plant in York, Pa. The six Illinois plants employ about 11,800 union workers.
``We're just sick and tired of Caterpillar violating our rights,'' said John Paul Yarbrough, president of UAW Local 145 in Aurora. ``We've taken it as long as we can.''
Memo: ***CORRECTION***