Lawrenceburg, IN – Workers at Batesville Products Inc. (BPI) voted 16-4 on Friday, November 13, to join Teamsters Local 135. The vote came after 186 days of an unfair labor practice strike, which began as a strike for recognition.
“This victory means the world to my union brothers, sisters and I on the strike line,” said BPI striker Ryan Hueseman. “We barely knew each other before we started having conversations and organizing.” Now, he said, “We’ve become family on the line. Even on the worst days, we pick each other up and hold strong. This victory was won through the bravery and solidarity of every one on the line choosing to stand together, to show up more for one another every day, so we can be a greater force than any of us could ever be alone.”
The machinists, polishers, and shipping workers walked out on May 11 to demand recognition of the union they formed with Local 135. Their issues included low wages, declining benefits, unsafe working conditions, and mandatory 60-hour workweeks. BPI fought the workers at every step. It challenged the bargaining unit, which held up their National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) election for months. In October, NLRB Region 9 ruled in the union’s favor on the size and scope of the bargaining unit.
The company tried to delay things one more time, just before the vote, but the NLRB in Washington denied its motion to postpone the election, or, if the election did take place, impound the ballots.
Through it all, the BPI Teamsters held together.
“For six months, we held the line in the morning and throughout the night, in the blazing heat and freezing cold, on nice days and on two different close calls with tornadoes,” said Hueseman.
After the vote count, Teamsters Local 135 President Dustin Roach said, “Every worker who held that line should stand tall today. You fought for each other, for your families, and for the right to have a real say in your workplace. You have earned this victory, and your union will stand with you as we carry this fight to the bargaining table.”
The union says it wants to end the unfair labor practice strike and get the workers back on the job soon. After that, it will begin bargaining for a first contract that addresses the problems that drove the workers at BPI Lawrenceburg to organize in the first place.
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