Several hundred supporters of Dayton Daily News mailroom workers rallied at the same time in Dayton, Ohio, and in Atlanta on July 28.

Members and supporters of Midwest 128N Dayton Daily News mailers rallied in front of the newspaper building in Dayton. Members and supporters of Atlanta 8M and 527S rallied in front of the Cox corporate headquarters building in Atlanta.

GCIU Pres. George Tedeschi and Local 128N Pres. Robert J. Bryan said they greatly appreciated the strong support and show of solidarity by all of the local unions for the mistreated Dayton Daily News mailroom workers. They also thanked Teamsters leaders for providing staging semi-tractor trailer trucks and showing up in Dayton to support GCIU mailers.

In Atlanta, Local 8M Pres. Dale W. Harrell and Local 527S Pres. Ralph Meers together led their members who work at the Atlanta Journal Constitution in a rally. Cox officials had security guards posted at the headquarters building and both newspaper plants in Atlanta.

Supporters who spoke in Dayton included Dayton Mayor Rhine McLin, Dan Radford, executive secretary of the Cincinnati AFL-CIO, Wes Wells, executive secretary of the Miami Valley AFL-CIO, as well as Teamsters Local 957 Vice Pres. John D. Burns and other Teamsters from throughout the region.

Bryan advised the 300 supporters assembled in front of the Dayton Daily News building that "we're here for the duration, and we didn't want to go to war. But if we are forced into a confrontation, we will do whatever it takes that's necessary to secure a decent contract."

Tedeschi observed that the Dayton rally participants "clearly see that what is being done to our sisters and brothers in The Dayton Daily News mailroom is WRONG!

"We are all here at this rally to try to help make things RIGHT! We are here to provide STRONG support and encouragement." He charged that Cox corporate accountants "want to fatten their ledgers on the backs of our mailroom workers.

"That's not RIGHT. And that's not JUST!

"Mailroom sisters and brothers at The Dayton Daily News are overworked! And they are being RIPPED OFF!

"Has this been going on a few months or a year?.. These mailers have been breaking their backs for 12 LONG years with no pay increase nor contract. That's mean. That's nasty. That's GREEDY on the part of the Cox Corporation. And that's OBSCENE!

"It is just flat WRONG to work people like dogs. Or worse. Fourteen-hour shifts on a regular basis are BRUTAL. And INHUMANE! And what do they get for working 14-hour shifts? REGULAR pay with no overtime.

Photo by Dale W. Harrell

Unionists rallying in solidarity with Dayton Daily News gather in front of Cox headquarters in Atlanta. From left are Atlanta 8M Atlanta Journal Constitution pressmen Sonny Scanlon and Steve Bolger; Charlie Fleming, Atlanta Labor Council president; Denise Murner, Flemming's assistant; and Jimmy Hyde, field director of the AFL-CIO.

"That's just for starters. The Cox Corporation, as you know, owns The Dayton Daily News. It's part of their chain–GANG.

"Cox so-called negotiators are demanding GIVEBACKS from mailers. They want 4 PERCENT a YEAR over 5 years. That's 20 percent that Cox wants to suck out of mailers' pay.

"There are more rip-offs:

"Cox wants to continue 14-hour shifts at STRAIGHT TIME! No OVERTIME!

"Also, shifts are changed so often, they are like MUSICAL SHIFTS! No one can count on or plan on a regular schedule! That keeps working families in upheaval.

"More than 60 PERCENT of the mailers are just part time.

"Health care costs have been INCREASED. Mailers work MORE to earn LESS money.

"Paid lunch and break periods have been STRIPPED AWAY.

"If those aren't RIP-OFFS, what are?!

"Have Cox officials been negotiating in good faith?

"Not only NO!–but HELL, NO!

"The situation is so BAD that Local President Bobby Bryan had no choice but to file charges against Dayton Newspapers Inc. with the National Labor Relations Board."

Those charges include:

• Failure to schedule meetings in a timely fashion
• Failure to respond to union requests for information, and
• Imposing conditions without bargaining.

"GCIU Local 128N will be UPHELD by the NLRB! I am SURE about that!

"Does The Dayton Daily News NEED to RIP OFF its mailroom workers? Hardly! Let's look at just a few numbers. Over the past 10 years, the Cox Corporation has made more than $2 BILLION in revenue.

"Over the past 10 years, Cox has had an average of $460 MILLION in PROFITS a YEAR!

"Over the past 10 years, Cox has had profit margins averaging more than 30 PERCENT a YEAR!.

"Yet the Cox bullies want MORE! When you have profits like that, how can ANYONE reasonably expect to cry POVERTY?

"They're not just crying POVERTY! They're crying WOLF!

"That's what high-powered Cox bullies in their shark-skinned suits are doing!

"Don't get me wrong. We WANT to see a company profit and stay in business. NOBODY benefits if a company doesn't make a profit and HAS to shut down.

"But that clearly is NOT the case with Cox!

"We are NOT greedy. Dayton Daily News mailers have been downtrodden. Our mailroom workers have been mighty patient. They have gone FAR too long without a pay increase. Or improvement in their working conditions. Or a contract. We just want a FAIR day's pay for a FAIR day's work. And decent hours and work rules. And a contract. That is not an unreasonable request.

"Perhaps we should be thinking about these chants:

"Two, four, six, eight,

"Cox must

"nego-ti-ate!"

"Or:

"Two, four, six, eight.

"Mailers NEED more

"On their plate!

"If Cox CONTINUES to bargain in bad faith, then maybe we should consider the chant:

"When near Dayton,

"You should choose

"NOT to buy

"The Daily News!"

Tedeschi emphasized: "We don't WANT to ask readers to NOT buy The Dayton Daily News. But we WILL–if we HAVE to!

"I HOPE that Cox officials will get real and negotiate in GOOD faith. I know that is what Pres. Bryan WANTS to do. Our good brother has gone the extra mile to bargain in good faith. What has been the Cox response? To be GREEDY! To be UNREASONABLE–and try to suck BLOOD from Dayton Daily News mailers!

"If the Cox chain gang line is to be wrong-headed in their demands, we will clearly consider all the options we have. True, these are tough times for trade unions in the United States. As tough as these times are, we STILL have some options. We will USE them.

"And we will support our Dayton Daily News mailroom sisters and brothers.

"We demand decent PAY!

"We demand decent WORKING CONDITIONS!

"We demand JUSTICE! With a contract.

"If we get no justice, Cox will get NO PEACE!

"No justice? No PEACE!"

Graphic Communicator photo by Herald Grandstaff

GCIU Pres. George Tedeschi chants "No justice! No peace!" at the July 28 rally in Dayton, Ohio, for Midwest 128N Daily News mailers who are seeking a decent contract. From left on the Teamsters' truck stage are: Dan Radford, executive secretary of the Cincinnati AFL-CIO; Local 128N legal counsel John Doll, Dayton Mayor Rhine McLin; Wes Wells, Miami Valley AFL-CIO executive secretary; and Local 128N Pres. Robert J. Bryan.

Graphic Communicator photo by Dale W. Harrell

Members of Atlanta 8M and 527S rally on July 28 in front of Cox headquarters in support for Midwest 128N Dayton Daily News mailers in Ohio.