women

2 Union Vice-Presidents Included In Arrests; All Charged Breach/Peace

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2 Union Vice-Presidents Included In Arrests; All Charged Breach/Peace

Sep 67 [handwritten notation in top right]

By Ruth Nichols

Forty-three UniRoyal strikers were arrested this morning including Raymond Mengacci, vice-president of Local 45 and Cy Blanchard, vice-president of Local 218, as police attempted to restore order to the picket lines on Maple St.

In the midst of the scuffle, which began early this morning, one man, Nunzio Finateri, about 51, was taken to St. Mary’s Hospital with a possible heart attack.

Both policemen and pickets received minor injuries as management attempted to cross the lines to enter the UniRoyal buildings.

Maple Street was closed to traffic about 7:30 this morning for an hour, until order was restored. By 8 a.m. all office workers were allowed through the line without incident.

Several groups of women gathered together on Church St. and waited for their male supervisor before attempting to enter the offices.

The first group of strikers arrested were brought forcibly to police headquarters; later however, the mood changed and the arrested strikers came in on their own to be booked. All strikers were charged with breach of peace and bond set at $150.

It was noted however, that although Local 45 is 80 per cent women, only men were booked this morning. Three police officers were at the desk, one in the file room and one in the detective’s room, booking the men as fast as possible to clear out the station.

When the bookings first began, the main room of headquarters was so full that those arrested were lined down the hallway.

Capt. Joseph Summa, in charge of the special force on strike duty, ordered a crowd dispersed outside the station where a retired employe of UniRoyal was attempting to incite pickets and stop the white collar workers from entering the buildings.

No personnel were entering the buildings through the warehouse, but rather coming through the Maple St. gate and then crossing over into the warehouse area.

Both policemen and strikers were bruised in the melee. Some women were on the outer edge of the picket line with others in the center.

women on the outside left the line and the women in the center had to wait their opportunity to leave.

Officer Jerry Sirica was the officer in charge of the policemen on duty at the Maple St. gates under the supervision of Capt. Summa.

Policemen received twisted arms, kicks in the shins, feet stepped on, and in one case, a hand bitten as they struggled with the pickets.

The pickets were ordered to keep moving in an orderly fashion once the scuffling was over until calm was insured.

Rumors are strong that a restraining injunction will be served upon the URW Unions before the day is out, but no confirmation has been received.

A report of police brutality was threatened following an incident last night when attorneys were trying to leave the plant and the picketers were not going to permit them through.

To add to the general confusion this morning, crowds of people were going home from St. Francis Church, adding to the already heavy traffic flow.

than 24 hours that UniRoyal would attempt to move some materials out of the warehouse on Rubber Ave. early this morning.

By noon today, however, no activity was attempted in this direction. Orderly picketing was going on by a large group of strikers on Elm St., next to the warehouse.

Union leaders were dividing their times between the Maple St. gates, the Rubber Ave. warehouse and another warehouse in Beacon Falls. Some picketers were picked up from the Rubber ave. facility and driven to Beacon Falls to add to those already there.

Rumors about the activity in the two towns ran rampant this morning. Word that more than 100 people had been arrested was heard being passed from picket to picket.

Pickets, Police Scuffle At Borough Rubber Plant

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Pickets, Police Scuffle At Borough Rubber Plant

5-3-67 [handwritten date]

NAUGATUCK—At least two attempts by police to crash through picket lines at the Uniroyal Footwear plant failed this morning, causing office and supervisory personnel to return home.

The 150 persons, mostly women, who attempted to get through the Maple St. gate at 6:40 and 7:40 a. m. were turned away by the picket line, which was nearly three times the size of the line Tuesday.

However, no injuries of any type or any serious physical violence resulted, according to police. There were no arrests made.

According to highly placed sources, the picket line was increased when word was received from management that shipping would resume sometime today. The lines were set up at night, when supervisory and office personnel were reported entering the plant with suitcases, apparently planning on staying for a duration of time. No one entered the plant this morning.

Rumors Circulate

The increased size of the picket line lead to rumors that management may seek a court injunction restraining the size of the picket line. Fred Chapman, spokesman at the New York Office of Uniroyal, said today that he believed his legal department was checking into the matter, although he could not confirm or deny that an injunction was definitely being sought.

The presence of a photographer in the building, taking pictures during the police-picketline scuffle, added to the rumors of the injunction. Such photographs could be used as evidence in seeking the restraint.

Atty. William Larkin, counsel for Uniroyal operations at the Naugatuck plants, declined to “Make any comment whatsoever concerning Uniroyal.”

Also at times they broke into song, singing “America,” “I’ve Been Working on the Railroad” and others. At one point they chanted, “You ran out of gas.”

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Also at times they broke into
song, singing “America,” “I’ve
Been Working on the Railroad”
and others. At one point they
chanted, “You ran out of gas.”
Perhaps this was in reference
to the situation in the borough
about a year ago when local
police vehicles were grounded
for about 24 hours when it was
determined there was no funds
to purchase more gasoline for
them.

Whenever a person attempted
to enter the Central Office
Building, picketed soley by wo-
men, groups of men would come
to their assistance. There were
few instances where anyone
made the attempt and few in-
stances where anyone was suc-
cessful.

John Smith, was hustled into the Central Office Building by local police who pushed their way through a group of about 20 women pickets.

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John Smith, was hustled into
the Central Office Building by
local police who pushed their
way through a group of about
20 women pickets.

Once safely inside, the women
resumed their circling in front
of the door.

At one point, they chanted,
“Talk it over, Blue-Coats, talk
it over” at a group of about 15
policemen standing a few feet
away.

WHITE COLLAR workers were streaming through the gates at Maple Street following a day’s vacation. Female employes waited on Church St. until calm was restored before trying to report to work

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WHITE COLLAR workers were streaming through the gates at Maple Street following a day’s vacation. Female employes waited on Church St. until calm was restored before trying to report to work —(News photo by Nichols)

IN SOLID MASS, non-union employes of Uniroyal Footwear Plant in Naugatuck head for work at 7 a.m. today, after assembling on The Green, in background. Police halted the crowd and sent back to the Green. The company proposed that the women be sent home and the male employes be allowed through the picket lines, but the union rejected the idea. It was shortly after that that violence erupted again.—Coviello Photo.

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5-5-67

IN SOLID MASS, non-union employes of Uniroyal Footwear Plant in Naugatuck head for work at 7 a. m. today, after assembling on The Green, in background. Police halted the crowd and sent back to the Green. The company proposed that the women to be sent home and the male employes be allowed through the picket lines, but the union rejected the idea. It was shortly after that that violence erupted again.—Coviello Photo.

Pickets

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Pickets

(Cont’d from Page One)

officers was on hand near the
gate, but wasn’t needed after
the 7 a.m. incident.

Fewer than 30 women office
employes left the plant at about
9:30 a.m. under another special
arrangement with Police Chief
Mariano acting as intermediary.

Fifty or more pickets had
been clustered by the office
doorway, but pulled back, leav-
ing just a few placard-bearing
women who marched back and
forth as the office help walked
out in two’s and three’s.

Fernandez said that the wom-
en hadn’t entered the plant this
morning and “I don’t know
when they went in or how long
they have been there.” Others
thought the women did go in at
7 a.m.

Divert Traffic

It was a balmy day as a
crowd of a couple of hundred
pickets gathered at the Maple
St. gate, while police diverted
traffic around Maple St. to Rub-
ber Ave. and Water St.

Mayor Joseph C. Raytkwich,
on an errand from Town Hall to
the fire station across the street,
shortly after the hubbub had
ended, was greeted with a cho-
rus of boos from the pickets.

He looked around, seemingly
startled. He was reelected only
Monday to his fourth term.

Police said all of the pickets
arrested today were released
without bond except four who
were arrested for the second
day in a row. They had to post a
$50 bond each.

These four are: Robert G. Irv-
ing, 23, 19 Lines Hill Ext.; John
P. Henao, 30, 194 Maple St.;
Ronnie J. Kezelevich, 23, 16
Melbourne Ct., and Nicholas
Cesarello, 53, 132 Norton St.,
Waterbury.

Single file, Uniroyal supervisory personnel are allowed to pass through picket line to enter plant this morning in Naugatuck. Union agreed to allow male employes to enter but women were to be kept out.

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5-5-67

Single file, Uniroyal supervisory personnel are allowed to pass through picket line to enter plant this morning in Naugatuck. Union agreed to allow male employes to enter but women were to be kept out.

2 Unionists Help Calm Near-Riot

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2 Unionists Help Calm Near-Riot

5-5-67

Naugatuck police arrested 21 men this morning after the second scuffle in two days outside the Maple Street gate of the struck Uniroyal plant.

One man was taken to a hospital.

Officers of the striking United Rubber Workers of America, Local 45, were ordered to appear this afternoon in Superior Court, Waterbury.

They were to respond to an order sought by the company, directing them to show cause why mass picketing should not be prohibited.

The three officers of the Rubber Workers’ union summoned to appear are Raymond Mengacci, vice president of Local 45; Antoinette Zuccarelli, secretary, and Rita Ruggero, treasurer.

Forty – three strikers were arrested yesterday.

Today’s disturbance, like yesterday’s, broke out when pickets tried to prevent office workers and management personnel from entering the plant.

Women pickets shoulder to shoulder were on the north side of Maple Street. Male pickets were on the south side, also in tight formation.

Supervisory personnel milled around on the sidewalk on the south side.

When some of the supervisory employes attempted to enter after Capt. Joseph J. Summa read the “riot act” warning the pickets to disperse, the battling between police and pickets began.

The women pickets were singing. The baiting continued until Police Chief Frank J. Mariano arrived. He called the union and company officials together and they went inside the plant.

When they came out, Summa ordered all the company personnel to leave Maple Street and assemble on the nearby green.

PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 13

Possible Discrimination

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Possible Discrimination

Rzesutek reported that a change could occur in a contract gain in sickness and accident insurance, which offers compensation for men $10 higher than for women.

“The government may step in and say, you can’t discriminate,” Rzesutek warned. The insurance benefit was raised $10 each bring the men’s to $70 and the women’s to $60.

Another union gain was a $1,000 raise in life insurance, it was reported.

The company apparently held its ground in the negotiations by retaining a “non-duplication” clause in regards to benefits for both a husband and wife working at Uniroyal. Rzesutek told the membership that he was disappointed the clause was not erased in negotiations, when one of the- female workers complained of the non-duplication policy.

Local 308 will meet at 7 this evening at the Portuguese Hall, Rubber Ave., as the last of three divisions to vote on the three-year master contract.

If ratified, the contract is to take effect Aug. 1, but benefits would not be forthcoming until after mid-September when the supplemental agreements are to be signed by the locals.

Kentucky also is known as the Blue Grass State.