Community Rallies Behind GE Workers in Iowa

GE workers in West Burlington, Iowa are standing up for a union voice.

For more than a half-century, the General Electric switchgear plant has been a fixture of West Burlington, Iowa. Now the community is rallying behind GE workers who are organizing for a union voice and to keep those jobs in West Burlington.

Nearly 200 people — including federal, state and local officials and more than 15 local unions — turned out at Crapo Park last Saturday afternoon ahead of the April 11 union representation election to join IUE-CWA.

"Burlington is a pretty good union town," said CWA organizer Jeff Lacher. "You don't think of Iowa as the industrial Midwest, but Burlington is right on the Mississippi River. There's a UAW represented plant for the Case Corporation and a munitions plant that has the Steelworkers. There are a number of factories that are organized. GE is the exception."

The demonstration was titled "Rally to Keep GE in Burlington." Just two years ago, the company threatened to close the plant, but production and maintenance workers agreed to drastic pay cuts to keep it running. Then, as an added incentive to stay, GE received thousands of dollars in financial support from local governments.

"This company making gazillions and millions and billions of dollars a year didn't have any trouble at all coming to the taxpayers of West Burlington and the state of Iowa asking for a handout. And they ought not to have any problem paying decent wages to you folks," said State Sen. Tom Courtney (D-Burlington), according to a local newspaper at the rally. "I couldn't be more behind you."

While the vote is on April 11, it's unlikely that workers will know the outcome right away. There are 170 eligible employees, but GE wants 197 people to be included in the vote. On Wednesday, workers found out that GE has hired the Labor Relations Institute, which offers a guaranteed winner package; if LRI doesn't stop workers' efforts to form a union, the company doesn't pay.

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