Listeners are invited to attend a rally on Saturday, December 17th in Racine to support workers at Case New Holland, or CNH, who have been on strike for a fair contract since May of this year. Yasin Mahdi, president of UAW local 180, talked to Labor Radio.
Reporter: Tell us the name of the company that you work for and what they do.
Yasin Mahdi: Case New Holland, you may hear named CNH, is a global company that makes farm equipment, agricultural equipment, as well as construction equipment. In North America they have three representative facilities: Racine, Wisconsin which makes the Magnum Tracker. They also have a facility in Burlington, Iowa with makes construction equipment which is our sister local–they’re also on strike–and then the other representative facility that they have is in Fargo, North Dakota.
Reporter: How have profits for the company been for these last couple of years?
Yasin Mahdi: In the billions, every year. They do have the money, they do not want to share with us for a fair agreement. Case used to be the leader of the pack in the area. Now I would classify them as being last in all areas as far as wages, time off from work, profit sharing which CNH does not have right now.
Reporter: Has the company come to the table at all?
Yasin Mahdi: No, we have not been at the table since the end of September.
Reporter: What strategies do you have going forward?
Yasin Mahdi: One of the things is this rally. Another, we are currently in talks with the Secretary of Labor to see if he can mediate the situation. In addition to that, looking at talking to some other elected representatives on the state and federal level to see if they could help out in some type of way.
Reporter: In your opinion what is going to help motivate them to change their minds?
Yasin Mahdi: A couple of different things: one is losing market share, people saying “the hell with waiting on a tractor from Case, I’m just going to go somewhere else and buy one.” Two, I would say that shareholders, executives, or people that are on the board to say “hey look, enough is enough, let’s end this.” And then probably the third thing that would end this is they would look at how much money they spent on scabs or replacement workers versus how much product they got out the, and say “you know, this is just not good business sense to keep throwing good money after bad.”
Reporter: Asked how listeners can support the CNH strikers, Mahdi says we can come to the December 17th rally. He also suggests sending any donations to the union hall at 3323 Kearney Avenue in Racine, and writing a letter to the Case New Holland CEO, Scott Wine, expressing support for the strikers.
Yasin Mahdi: Another thing that people can do, too, social media, if they want to hashtag. “UAW Local 180” and then put “end the strike” or something as simple as “corporate greed” to shine some light on what’s going on, because ultimately you know CNH has the power in this agreement. We just want a fair contract, that’s it.
Reporter: The rally to support Case strikers and boost their spirits after seven long months on the picket line will take place on Saturday December 17th at 2 p.m. meeting at the union hall at 3323 Kearney Avenue in Racine and caravanning to the picket lines. A delegation will be leaving from the Madison labor temple in Madison and heading to Racine at 11:30 on that day.
Interviewee Yasin Mahdi, president of UAW Local 180. Report by Jeannine Ramsey. Photo was created through donated union labor. Web production by Anyu Li.