AFL-CIO chief has Post strikers arrested: 1976
Singing choruses of Solidarity Forever, 26 striking pressmen at the Washington Post are led to a police wagon at the AFL-CIO headquarters on 16th Street in Washington, D.C. February 20, 1976 after they sought a stronger commitment from labor chief George Meany to settle the strike.
The pressmen were permitted to stay in the building until closing. Meany, who was in Florida at the time, sent word that if they left the building, he would issue a new statement but would not give in to “pressure.”
The pressmen refused the offer and Meany ordered them arrested at about 7:15 p.m. after the building closed to the public.
According to the Washington Post, as the first men were placed under arrest, James Dugan, president of the striking union, Local No. 6 shouted: “this is what the AFL-CIO is all about.”
About 40 supporters gathered outside the AFL-CIO building to give encouragement to the pressmen.
Labor relations between the Post and its unions had been deteriorating for several years (see flic.kr/s/aHsjtYXDE7) as the Post management began aggressively preparing for a confrontation with the pressmen’s union. From 1973-75, the Post management openly trained dozens of non-union employees on how to running printing presses and other production jobs.
The strength of the unions was further undercut by advances in technology that made new offset printing and computer typesetting possible (eliminating much of the skills of pressmen, printers and photoengravers). The Post overtly made plans to open new offset printing plants in Maryland and Virginia.
The craft unions at the newspaper were also predominantly composed of older, white males during a time when African Americans and women were pushing to break into skilled occupations.
When the strike occurred October 1, some pressmen sought to undercut the Post’s advantages by sabotaging the Post printing presses. A shop supervisor was also assaulted during first minutes of the strike. Some Newspaper Guild members (reporters and editors) who crossed the pressmen’s picket lines were also physically accosted.
The newspaper was forced to suspend publication, but published an edition October 3rd using offset presses at other facilities. Helicopters were used to ferry key workers to the Post headquarters and to send copy to the outside printing plants.
Two other unions called strikes of their own and the other craft unions honored picket lines. The leadership of the Newspaper Guild (reporters and editors) issued statements in support of the strike but the violence isolated the pressmen’s union in the community.
The Newspaper Guild members defied their leadership and voted to withhold support of the strike and cross picket lines. The local AFL-CIO labor council voted to launch a boycott against the Post and stickers reading “No Grapes, No Lettuce, No Post” (also refering to the Farmworkers boycotts) were widely distributed throughout the Washington, DC area.
Many businesses initially shifted their advertising to the rival Washington Star. However, as the Post began to restore the publication to its pre-strike condition, businesses began to return to the Post. The pressmen responded by setting up picket lines outside of advertisers who returned to the Post.
The Post management also began exploiting charges of discrimination against the pressmen’s union. A quick settlement was reached with the predominantly African-American Washington Printing Specialties and Paper Products Union 449, which represented paper handlers and press room general workers.
A grand jury investigation into the violence cast a cloud over the strike. The Post hired permanent replacements—mostly African Americans and women--for the pressmen and some members of other unions began drifting back to work.
On February, 17th the Mailers union (who sort and bundle the newspapers) reached an agreement with the Post and returned to work along with the printers union (those who set the type)—representing about half of the 1,400 craft union workers. Most of the other unions and their members followed shortly thereafter and the strike was essentially lost at this point.
The U.S. Attorney obtained indictments against 15 pressmen. On the one year anniversary of the strike, close to 1,000 pressmen and their supporters rallied at McPherson Square and marched to the Post building where they burned Katherine Graham in effigy (see flic.kr/s/aHsju9eWWj). On May 20, 1977, fourteen pressmen were given sentences that ranged from fines to one year in jail.
Local 6 ceased to exist largely as a result of the strike followed by the folding of the Washington Star newspaper in 1981. In 2005 the national body, by then renamed Graphic Communications International Union, merged with the Teamsters. The Washington Post continues to publish.
For more information and related images, see flic.kr/s/aHsjtX9ET2
For images of a demonstration in support of the striking pressmen, see flic.kr/s/aHsju9eWWj
For a blog post on the strike, see washingtonspark.wordpress.com/2012/12/12/the-washington-p...
The photographer is unknown. The image is an Associated Press Wirephoton.
AFL-CIO chief has Post strikers arrested: 1976
Singing choruses of Solidarity Forever, 26 striking pressmen at the Washington Post are led to a police wagon at the AFL-CIO headquarters on 16th Street in Washington, D.C. February 20, 1976 after they sought a stronger commitment from labor chief George Meany to settle the strike.
The pressmen were permitted to stay in the building until closing. Meany, who was in Florida at the time, sent word that if they left the building, he would issue a new statement but would not give in to “pressure.”
The pressmen refused the offer and Meany ordered them arrested at about 7:15 p.m. after the building closed to the public.
According to the Washington Post, as the first men were placed under arrest, James Dugan, president of the striking union, Local No. 6 shouted: “this is what the AFL-CIO is all about.”
About 40 supporters gathered outside the AFL-CIO building to give encouragement to the pressmen.
Labor relations between the Post and its unions had been deteriorating for several years (see flic.kr/s/aHsjtYXDE7) as the Post management began aggressively preparing for a confrontation with the pressmen’s union. From 1973-75, the Post management openly trained dozens of non-union employees on how to running printing presses and other production jobs.
The strength of the unions was further undercut by advances in technology that made new offset printing and computer typesetting possible (eliminating much of the skills of pressmen, printers and photoengravers). The Post overtly made plans to open new offset printing plants in Maryland and Virginia.
The craft unions at the newspaper were also predominantly composed of older, white males during a time when African Americans and women were pushing to break into skilled occupations.
When the strike occurred October 1, some pressmen sought to undercut the Post’s advantages by sabotaging the Post printing presses. A shop supervisor was also assaulted during first minutes of the strike. Some Newspaper Guild members (reporters and editors) who crossed the pressmen’s picket lines were also physically accosted.
The newspaper was forced to suspend publication, but published an edition October 3rd using offset presses at other facilities. Helicopters were used to ferry key workers to the Post headquarters and to send copy to the outside printing plants.
Two other unions called strikes of their own and the other craft unions honored picket lines. The leadership of the Newspaper Guild (reporters and editors) issued statements in support of the strike but the violence isolated the pressmen’s union in the community.
The Newspaper Guild members defied their leadership and voted to withhold support of the strike and cross picket lines. The local AFL-CIO labor council voted to launch a boycott against the Post and stickers reading “No Grapes, No Lettuce, No Post” (also refering to the Farmworkers boycotts) were widely distributed throughout the Washington, DC area.
Many businesses initially shifted their advertising to the rival Washington Star. However, as the Post began to restore the publication to its pre-strike condition, businesses began to return to the Post. The pressmen responded by setting up picket lines outside of advertisers who returned to the Post.
The Post management also began exploiting charges of discrimination against the pressmen’s union. A quick settlement was reached with the predominantly African-American Washington Printing Specialties and Paper Products Union 449, which represented paper handlers and press room general workers.
A grand jury investigation into the violence cast a cloud over the strike. The Post hired permanent replacements—mostly African Americans and women--for the pressmen and some members of other unions began drifting back to work.
On February, 17th the Mailers union (who sort and bundle the newspapers) reached an agreement with the Post and returned to work along with the printers union (those who set the type)—representing about half of the 1,400 craft union workers. Most of the other unions and their members followed shortly thereafter and the strike was essentially lost at this point.
The U.S. Attorney obtained indictments against 15 pressmen. On the one year anniversary of the strike, close to 1,000 pressmen and their supporters rallied at McPherson Square and marched to the Post building where they burned Katherine Graham in effigy (see flic.kr/s/aHsju9eWWj). On May 20, 1977, fourteen pressmen were given sentences that ranged from fines to one year in jail.
Local 6 ceased to exist largely as a result of the strike followed by the folding of the Washington Star newspaper in 1981. In 2005 the national body, by then renamed Graphic Communications International Union, merged with the Teamsters. The Washington Post continues to publish.
For more information and related images, see flic.kr/s/aHsjtX9ET2
For images of a demonstration in support of the striking pressmen, see flic.kr/s/aHsju9eWWj
For a blog post on the strike, see washingtonspark.wordpress.com/2012/12/12/the-washington-p...
The photographer is unknown. The image is an Associated Press Wirephoton.