Striking employees from the Guardian Fibreglass plant at Erin, Ontario drove over the US border to Lansing, Michigan, on 13 June 2007 to distribute leaflets at a lunchtime performance by the Detroit S…
Striking employees from the Guardian Fibreglass plant at Erin, Ontario drove over the US border to Lansing, Michigan, on 13 June 2007 to distribute leaflets at a lunchtime performance by the Detroit Symphony Orchestra. The free concert on the steps of the state“s capitol building was sponsored by the plant“s parent company, Guardian Industries. “They may be nice corporate citizens but they are not treating their employees properly”, said steelworkers union representative Mary Simms. Yanon Begg was one of three employees who drove to the concert. The quality control inspector said he and fellow strikers were not well received when they arrived in front of the state capitol building bearing pink and yellow leaflets complaining about the company“s treatment of workers. “I introduced myself to a Guardian employee”, he said. She had a look at the leaflet and said: “Oh no, no. This won“t do”, Mr. Begg said. The strikers were escorted off the capitol grounds. They then targeted a truck where free ice cream was being offered courtesy of Guardian and handed out between 200 to 300 leaflets, according to Mr. Begg. The 85 striking Erin plant workers began their action on 4 June 2007 after the union said the company tried to freeze pay and cut benefits. “We“re working to resolve the issues between the company and the union as quickly as possible”, plant manager and company spokesperson Dan Pyke said 12 June 2007. “It“s unfortunate that we had to go this route to settle our differences”.