In a third effort in five years by Detroit 2-289M to win representation at Graphic Enterprises, workers voted 26 to 14 for the GCIU. Votes were counted Aug. 6.

Local 2-289M Pres. David R. Jacobs said that several factors worked together to ultimately win the National Labor Relations Board election. It was a "well-run organizing campaign," he said, noting that "Cyndee Rariden, our organizer, did a great job."

With Local 2-289M a participant in District Council 3, Jacobs added that it was the first organizing victory for DC 3 since it was formed about a year ago.

Jacobs, a strong proponent of organizing blitzes that have worked for his local many times, said that "the expertise developed over the years in blitzing was very helpful for this campaign. For three days prior to the election, we did mass blitzing of the shop. It was very effective. A two-to-one margin is a very nice win."

He added "many thanks" to the in-plant organizing committee—especially Jim Shehadi, Larry Gormulinski, and Dan Courtney.

Steve Nobles, Local 2-289M executive vice president and DC 3 president, praised the efforts of everyone involved in the campaign because they "never gave up."

Nobles said part of the success was due to having "a very dedicated organizing team here." Joining him in hand-billing were Shehadi, Gormulinski, and Courtney. He noted that "the support and resources we received from being affiliated with DC 3 was immeasurable."

He said the newly organized workers "liked the fact that they will be part of 3,000 members in three different states as one big family."

He observed that Rariden "directed us as the local organizer." She held meetings with workers and "offset the negative literature" that was distributed by the employer. Rariden, Nobles said, "put a positive spin" on information by presenting the advantages of being a GCIU member. He added that Rariden and the volunteer organizers "worked very hard on this project."

Nobles observed that of the eight in-plant committee members, only one defected. He said half of the committee members had had union experience and the other half had never been GCIU members.

The organizing victory, Nobles added, was "about having a voice at work and having better working conditions."

Rariden said major issues were wages and benefits. Five or six years ago, she said, workers accepted a 6.5 percent wage cut; then the employer imposed a wage freeze for five years. The employer match for a 401(K) plan was dropped also.

One of the biggest concerns, she said, was that some permanent employees received only wages and no benefits as if they were temporary workers.

She noted that the in-plant committee was built "very slowly and steadily. It was solidly in place, and the employer was not aware that a campaign was going on until he received notice from the NLRB. Close to 70 percent of the workers signed cards before the petition was filed."

"It was a great experience," Rariden said, adding: "I truly enjoyed it. I got to file the petition and talk with in-plant committee people. It was the first organizing campaign I was in from the beginning to end, and it was wonderful."

Nobles observed: "We followed the lead of Pres. Dave Jacobs. He's been doing organizing for years. This shows that the blitz concept works.

"With the resources and support of the whole district council, this is the first of many more [organizing victories] to come," Nobles said.

Jacobs said local negotiations with the employer would begin "soon, and we expect to negotiate a first-time contract without too many problems."