Voter Suppression Reversed

Dham workers reverse management's voter suppression

Voting in Dham’s May 15 triennial election has been restored to the plant. After management announced a prohibition on voting in the plant, Dham workers, led by the Dham Rank-and-File Team (DRAFT), mounted a campaign against voter suppression, which pressured management to reverse their position.

During the March membership meeting, the Elections Committee chair revealed that management was planning on prohibiting workers from voting at the plant, breaking over 50 years of past practice. This would have meant that Dham workers would have to drive more than 10 minutes to vote at the union hall during the one day that voting is open, and we all know that would mean much lower voter turnout.

On April 3 and 4, DRAFT released a petition calling on management not to suppress our vote, and for a grievance to be filed as management prohibiting union activity in non-work areas and during non-work time would have been a violation of our National Labor Relations Act rights. DRAFT and Dham workers passed out 3,000 flyers and collected hundreds of signatures in support. At the April 13th Local 22 Membership Meeting, our Shop Chairperson, Scott Harwick, announced that a grievance was filed on this issue and that management backtracked, allowing us to vote at the plant. During the meeting, in case management changed course again, the membership voted in support of DRAFT’s resolution (bit.ly/reverse-voter-suppression) affirming that voting will take place at Dham as we have done for decades.

Not only did Dham workers come together to show that management has no right meddling in our union democracy, but we fought back against a long-used repressive tactic to disenfranchise us. Especially for members newer to our union, single parents who have childcare needs, and many of our members who live an hour or more away, this victory makes it clear that our union is strongest when we fight together and that management should stay out of our union.