26 June 1993: Decatur workers protest

On this day, 26 June 1993, 4,000 workers took to the streets in Decatur, Illinois to protest against their employers. Workers from A.E. Staley, who had been working to rule against imposition of a new, inferior contracts, joined striking coal miners as well as Caterpillar workers who were on a go-slow across the midwest. The following day, A.E. Staley locked out its nearly 800 production workers in an attempt to force them to agree to a switch from eight to 12-hour shifts. So began a mammoth struggle which would only come to an end in December 1995 when, after betrayal by the leadership of the United Paperworkers International Union, a majority of strikers voted to accept the contract. Some union members were so angry at the result that company security and police had to be used to protect the union local president, Jim Shinall. Meanwhile, workers at Caterpillar also walked out on strike for 17 months until the United Auto Workers called off the action in defeat. Bridgestone-Firestone workers in Decatur and four other plants were also forced to accept 12-hour shifts following the defeat of their 10-month strike.More information, sources and map: https://stories.workingclasshistory.com/article/9840/decatur-workers-protestOur work is only possible because of support from you, our listeners on patreon. If you appreciate our work, please join us and access exclusive content and benefits at patreon.com/workingclasshistory.See all of our anniversaries each day, alongside sources and maps on the On This Day section of our Stories app: stories.workingclasshistory.com/date/todayBrowse all Stories by Date here on the Date index: https://stories.workingclasshistory.com/dateCheck out our Map of historical Stories: https://map.workingclasshistory.comCheck out books, posters, clothing and more in our online store, here: https://shop.workingclasshistory.comIf you enjoy this podcast, make sure to check out our flagship longform podcast, Working Class History