Newspaper striker marks 15th anniversary of 'stand against corporate evil and greed'

**RealityCheck** · July-07-10, 03:06 PM

Gary Dymski, an alum of Dearborn Fordson and Wayne State, checks back in today from self-exile on Long Island to note in a Metro Times letter that it's 15 years [[next Tuesday) since the start of "a conflict that reshaped the landscape of the city's dailies."

I knew Gary slightly while he was a News sports copy editor and writer, and admire the passion of his recollections. There's no "right" or "wrong" about those sentiments, by definition. And I join him in not wanting to "rehash the issues."

One point by the Newsday home improvement writer certainly didn't take a decade and a half to come true . . . and should bring nods of agreement from any strike veterans:

The city lost many great journalists in the strike and its newspapers were never the same.

True that.

His is the third letter here. And yes, Redfordette: This one's for you.

**jbd441** · July-07-10, 03:20 PM

The city lost a lot of good newspaper carriers too when didn't qualify for strike pay or unemployment.

**oldredfordette** · July-07-10, 06:05 PM

All my striker pals sent it to me earlier, but thanks.

No need to rehash; all you have to do is look at those poor little papers to understand the papers are still suffering from their stupid decision to wage war on their workers.

A group of us will get together next week, we will toast each other and celebrate our solidarity, our bravery and our integrity.

**Detroit500** · July-07-10, 06:09 PM

It is truly sad what has happened to these once great papers. Every day when I pick up my copy I feel so sad.

**dookie joe** · July-07-10, 11:39 PM

The strike isn't what brought the News and Freep down. Most of the writers eventually came back from the strike.

Lots of newspapers that didn't go through strikes are in far worse shape than Detroit's two dailies.

**MCP-001** · July-08-10, 12:10 AM

It should be noted that there were others who worked for the paper that were also affected and were not journalists or carriers.

Drivers, Jumpers, District Managers, Relief, Warehousemen, and Mailers [[just to name a few).

People who helped put the final product together and get it out into the customers each and every day.

They shouldn't be forgotten.

**oldredfordette** · July-08-10, 07:08 AM

Dymski pointed out newspaper workers in his piece.

Many of the writers did not come back, and their presence is sorely missed, both in the city and in the pages.

**Mikeg** · July-08-10, 08:29 AM

It should be noted that there were others who worked for the paper that were also affected and were not journalists or carriers.

There were others who didn't even work for the paper and were also affected, such as the taxpayers of Sterling Heights who had to pay for the tons of Police Department overtime caused by all of the "peaceful" picketing on Mound Road.

Mikeg
[[who still remembers his nine months loss of income [[about $1,000, including the Christmas tips he never received) in 1967-1968 from his 120 Free Press paper route customers)

**DanFromDetroit** · July-08-10, 09:56 AM

Originally Posted by Mikeg

There were others who didn't even work for the paper and were also affected, such as the taxpayers of Sterling Heights who had to pay for the tons of Police Department overtime caused by all of the "peaceful" picketing on Mound Road.

Mikeg
[[who still remembers his nine months loss of income [[about $1,000, including the Christmas tips he never received) in 1967-1968 from his 120 Free Press paper route customers)

Peaceful... sure it was [[I get the sarcasm). I for one would like to thank those "peaceful" striking workers for the 3 new tires I had to help my grandfather change as he went in and out of that facility. It was so nice of them to litter the entrance with nails so an 70yr old man could drive over them. Unions haven't been necessary since the 50's. Just ask all those Northwest mechanics how striking in modern society works.

/Thanks for the 40h work week
//double thanks for being wildly unreasonable and driving up health care costs so jobs moved to Mexico

**1KielsonDrive** · July-08-10, 01:33 PM

Originally Posted by DanFromDetroit

Peaceful... sure it was [[I get the sarcasm). I for one would like to thank those "peaceful" striking workers for the 3 new tires I had to help my grandfather change as he went in and out of that facility. It was so nice of them to litter the entrance with nails so an 70yr old man could drive over them. Unions haven't been necessary since the 50's. Just ask all those Northwest mechanics how striking in modern society works.

/Thanks for the 40h work week
//double thanks for being wildly unreasonable and driving up health care costs so jobs moved to Mexico

Why is it the examples used in these situations are always ones like, 'my poor, old grandpa, my disabled grandma'. Then there are the ones like 'my little girl, my blind cousin, or my wheelchair bound auntie'. Like they're all so helpless in the face of the big, bad boogie man. Whomever they choose the boogie man to be. I mean, it's got to be a boogie man if they're opposed to these poor, helpless creatures. I'm curious, if grandpa was smart enough to work there, was he smart enough to know the risk involved in crossing the picket lines, possibly resulting in someone losing their livelihood and him losing his tires? Sad to say, if his attitude about unions and working class people was the same as yours, he might've gotten what he deserved. Poor grandpa.

**MCP-001** · July-08-10, 01:38 PM

Originally Posted by 1KielsonDrive

Sad to say, if his attitude about unions and working class people was the same as yours, he might've gotten what he deserved. Poor grandpa.

Or, he may have been one of them who drove over people picketing.

In that case, a few flat tires isn't anything near what he deserved.

**jt1** · July-08-10, 01:58 PM

Originally Posted by 1KielsonDrive

I'm curious, if grandpa was smart enough to work there, was he smart enough to know the risk involved in crossing the picket lines, possibly resulting in someone losing their livelihood and him losing his tires?

What a load of garbage. Because someone chose to keep his job and report for work he should be subjected to flat tires? Disagreeing with the unions is cause to deserve property damage?

Strike and picket all you want but you nor the union thugs have any right to perform and support these tactics.

And you wonder why so many in the US either dislike or are apathetic towards unions.

**Det_ard** · July-08-10, 11:02 PM

Originally Posted by 1KielsonDrive

Why is it the examples used in these situations are always ones like, 'my poor, old grandpa, my disabled grandma'. Then there are the ones like 'my little girl, my blind cousin, or my wheelchair bound auntie'. Like they're all so helpless in the face of the big, bad boogie man. Whomever they choose the boogie man to be. I mean, it's got to be a boogie man if they're opposed to these poor, helpless creatures. I'm curious, if grandpa was smart enough to work there, was he smart enough to know the risk involved in crossing the picket lines, possibly resulting in someone losing their livelihood and him losing his tires? Sad to say, if his attitude about unions and working class people was the same as yours, he might've gotten what he deserved. Poor grandpa.

OK, you or your friends owe my wife $120 for the tire you punctured as she drove up Mound Rd. one night. She wasn't crossing a picket line, she was coming home from work at 15/Mound like she did every night, driving on a public road.

The union's antics during that strike are one of the things that moved me from ambivalence toward unions to anti-union. Congratulations. Have a great 15th anniversary pity party. Know that all you did was help take down a business, hurting thousands, and turned many thousands more into folks who look for the non-union label.

**MCP-001** · July-08-10, 10:49 AM

Originally Posted by Mikeg

There were others who didn't even work for the paper and were also affected, such as the taxpayers of Sterling Heights who had to pay for the tons of Police Department overtime caused by all of the "peaceful" picketing on Mound Road.

Mikeg
[[who still remembers his nine months loss of income [[about $1,000, including the Christmas tips he never received) in 1967-1968 from his 120 Free Press paper route customers)

The [[then) DNA made sizable "contributions" to the cities whose police services they contraced out.

Regarding Sterling Heights, I would say ask Duchane and Derocha about that, along with the sizable contribution they made to Sterling Heights for all that riot gear...about six months before everything hit the fan.

Doesn't it appear strange that a company would buy a city riot gear in "anticipation" of a strike?

Sadly, those two are no longer around having left in shame from the employ of Sterling Heights. But go ask Notte at their next city council meeting just how much the taxpayers were on the hook for?

**MCP-001** · July-08-10, 11:00 AM

Oh, yeah.

One more reason that things cost so much for Sterling Heights.

Remember this?

http://www.daymonjhartley.com/Strike/kicker.jpg

Sterling Heights "finest" in action.

**Danny** · July-08-10, 11:55 AM

Well, that's solidarity forever! Our socialist unions will rise again!

**GPCharles** · July-08-10, 12:35 PM

Face it - there has been a very quiet, but effective revolution in this country and it has been the transfer of advertising, particlularly classified advertising, from newspapers to the internet. Even 10 years ago the newspapers carried pages of items for sale, all of which is now on Craigslist. The newspapers made a boatload of money from that advertising, a revenue stream that has all but disappeared for them. THAT REVENUE IS GONE FOREVER!

Additionally, if you can get most of the newspaper content on the internet, why buy the paper? I think the newspapers made a big mistake by giving it away for free initially, but now they have to. It is their way of capturing part of that internet advertising dollar.

**Detroitnerd** · July-08-10, 03:03 PM

Yup, all those labor goons are always attacking. And the company and cops never lay a hand on them.

http://iconicphotos.wordpress.com/20...-the-overpass/

**Detroit500** · July-08-10, 09:59 PM

Like everything it is a complicated situation. Both sides probably have blame to share, we are lucky the News was not closed, mostly since it seems to be doing about 85% of the actual reporting around town these days. It must have been an interesting time. I wonder what happened to the international correspondents and bureau workers during the strike.

**Det_ard** · July-09-10, 11:31 AM

Wow, you're dissembling like Kwame Kilpatrick now.

OK, I'll give you a 5% chance that the security guys for the newspaper were making star nails and tossing them in front of cars on Mound Road and that the strikers would never have done such a thuggish thing. The strikers all just held hands and sang Kumbaya while making quilts for starving orphans freezing in Siberia. 95% of $120 is still $114. Pay up.

**MCP-001** · July-09-10, 12:12 PM

Originally Posted by Det_ard

Wow, you're dissembling like Kwame Kilpatrick now.

OK, I'll give you a 5% chance that the security guys for the newspaper were making star nails and tossing them in front of cars on Mound Road and that the strikers would never have done such a thuggish thing. The strikers all just held hands and sang Kumbaya while making quilts for starving orphans freezing in Siberia. 95% of $120 is still $114. Pay up.

You're making leaps of logic that even Evel Kenevel couldn't accomplish.

What purpose would it serve for picketers to garner a negative reputation for themselves by doing what you claim they are doing?

**jt1** · July-09-10, 12:56 PM

Originally Posted by MCP-001

You're making leaps of logic that even Evel Kenevel couldn't accomplish.

What purpose would it serve for picketers to garner a negative reputation for themselves by doing what you claim they are doing?

Yes, strikers and picketers always follow logic and do strictly what is best for their cause.

**Det_ard** · July-09-10, 01:01 PM

What purpose did it serve for them to strike in the first place? Based on results, they're not the most clever operators out there. Do you really think union strikers don't pull this stupid crap all over the country when they're in a bitter strike? Thug tactics are alive and well in the union halls.

BTW, you spelled "Evel Kenevel" [[sic) wrong, newspaperman.

**MCP-001** · July-09-10, 01:29 PM

Originally Posted by Det_ard

What purpose did it serve for them to strike in the first place? Based on results, they're not the most clever operators out there. Do you really think union strikers don't pull this stupid crap all over the country when they're in a bitter strike? Thug tactics are alive and well in the union halls.

BTW, you spelled "Evel Kenevel" [[sic) wrong, newspaperman.

First off, having seen the preparations that the company had been making for months before the strike, along with the fact that they were obviously goading Derey into making the decision the company wanted [[i.e. walking out), I didn't agree with the decision to go on strike.

That being said, I also didn't agree with seeing my friends getting gasses, clubbed, beaten and ran over by the company and cops. There is this thing called "loyalty". 'Nuff said on that topic.

Regarding what happens in other states. I am not, nor have not, been involved in the actions in other states. I am familiar with what happened here first hand and will only comment on that.

Finally regarding my "spelling", I never claimed to be a writer or from the Guild. So put that in your pipe and smoke it.

**jackie5275** · July-10-10, 12:11 PM

Originally Posted by MCP-001

First off, having seen the preparations that the company had been making for months before the strike, along with the fact that they were obviously goading Derey into making the decision the company wanted [[i.e. walking out), I didn't agree with the decision to go on strike.

That being said, I also didn't agree with seeing my friends getting gasses, clubbed, beaten and ran over by the company and cops. There is this thing called "loyalty". 'Nuff said on that topic.

Apparently, the cliche of time clouds memories is correct. Many of you seem to have forgotten that the company had been wanting a strike. If you had been following the reports about the situation leading up to the walk out, you would see it was clear this was a union busting move by the company. It was a very passionate time for the unions involved, other union sympathizers, the company, the scabs, & law enforcement. I remember full well Mitch Albom crossing the line, going back to work, & trying to justify his actions after only day 3 of the strike. In the meanwhile, John McElroy was saying he would rather cut off his right arm than be a scab. This is how heated this battle was. Many people lost in this battle, & the newspapers in this area haven't been the same since.