"There were more than a dozen of us, who kept on and on, filing charges at the NLRB, and doing what we had to do to get more people back to work," said PACE Local 3-537 President Bobby Watts.

"This contract is proof that, when workers stick together, we all win," said Local 3-537 member Randall Cleckler, who was one of the key activists during the campaign to re-organize the plant. "When I joined the union, it wasn't just a job any more; it was personal," said Butch Porter, a union member who began as a replacement worker.

"The shining part of this contract is where it says 'the company recognizes the union' because management said they never would," said PACE Region Five Representative Emory Barnette. "This is an amazing story of people putting aside old animosities to unite for the common good."

Barnette said the contract covering 150 workers had to be negotiated from scratch, but contains solid wage and pension improvements and other standard worker protections. The innovative grievance procedure agreed upon contains an extra step, in which a mediator will give a non-binding opinion on the merits of the grievance after the third step and prior to arbitration.

"I'm going to monitor this new procedure for the grievance system, and if it works out in Calera, I think it will be worth trying at other workplaces," said PACE Region Five Representative Doug McNees. "We got the contract we needed this time, and I'm confident we'll get an even better contract next time," said Watts.

While most aspects of the agreement had been reached by March, workers insisted they would not finalize or sign a labor agreement until all the former strikers had returned to work, retired on full pension or accepted a $10,000 buyout. "We told Blue Circle we were not going to be party to an agreement that left any union members outside the gate," said Watts.

Management had broken an August 1994 strike within a month. After giving an unconditional return offer, members of Local 3-537 within a year had voted to accept into their ranks those originally brought in to undercut the strike. "Once they sign the card, they're not replacements any more; they're union. That's the only way we can look at it," said Watts.

PACE Region Five Vice President Donald Langham met with executives of the British-based company in June 1999. "We're coordinating strategies with European unions in the cement industry, since 70 percent of the plants here are owned from there," said Langham. "A victory like this helps remind companies like Blue Circle they ought to be treating workers in North America as well as they treat people back home." He noted the pivotal role in Calera of McNees and Barnette.

In mid 1998, at a time when negotiations were going poorly, the union received word Blue Circle was to be cited as a good example of workplace cooperation at a labor-management conference in Baltimore. The union quickly arranged for Barnette to speak at the conference, to make participants aware of the company's anti-worker actions in Calera.

"I believe the appearance in Baltimore made a difference," said Barnette. "We're hopeful, now that things have changed for the better, Blue Circle will work with our members at Local 3-537 to build a positive relationship."

Langham also thanked the Intl. Chemical, Energy, Mine & General Workers Federation (ICEM) for organizing several support letters to Calera workers from other unions at Blue Circle. "Without the support of the ICEM and our brothers and sisters in Europe, it would have been very difficult to get to this point with Blue Circle," said Langham.

The 1.6 million-member Transport & General Workers Union in Britain additionally issued a letter to the company's CEO urging an environment of free choice for the March 1998 election. "More and more, as companies go global, we in labor must reach out to workers in other countries to help them when they are in need, to ask for their assistance when our members need help and to work toward a program of raising living standards worldwide," said Langham.

"We're grateful for the help we received from the region, from the international and from our brothers and sisters in other countries, and we're incredibly proud to be back as a union at Blue Circle," said Watts.

The PACESetter, vol.1 no.5, July/August 1999