CMI's Unfair Labor
Practices Spark Strike
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Local 1187 members on the picket line during the
cold South Dakota winter.
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Unfair labor practices committed by the Load King division of CMI during
the course of contract negotiations have forced UE Local 1187 members in Elk Point, S.D.
to the picket lines. And a strike in South Dakota during the winter months can mean
extremes in weather and temperature.
Local 1187 members voted nearly unanimously in a secret-ballot vote to
launch their strike on Feb. 9. At a rally on Feb. 20, a caravan of 25 pickup trucks
delivered 15,000 pounds of groceries, provided with the assistance of churches and
organized by Jim Marshall, president of the Northwest Iowa Labor Council. The rally was
addressed by UE District 11 Pres. Carl Rosen, UE Local 811 Pres. Rick Simons and Sheila
Van Arsdale of UE Local 893, as well as by Local 1187 members and ‘Siouxland’
labor leaders. Another 7,000 pounds of groceries was expected to be delivered the weekend
before the UE NEWS went to press.
Local 1187 members are standing strong, united in their determination to
force the company to bargain in good faith, but assistance is appreciated. Letters of
support and contributions can be sent to: UE Local 1187, P.O. Box 819, Elk Point,
SD 57025
