Quincy mining workers strike

46 employees picket Celite Corporation

QUINCY — Teamsters Local 760 at Celite Corporation in Quincy went on strike Monday at approximately 8 a.m.

The union cited several contract language issues as well as employees being required to pay a larger share of their health and welfare premiums, up to $250 per month. Wage increases are also at issue.

Forty-six workers picketed outside the company's location at 16419 Road 10.5 N.W., in Quincy Monday.

France-based company Imerys purchased World Minerals, Inc., which owns Celite Corporation, in 2005.

The company mines diatomaceous earth, mine foreman Louie Hoglund explained as he stood with other employees on the picket line.

"It's used for a filtering agent," he said. "When you go to (the grocery store) and you pick up one of those vegetable bags and you try to separate it, and in the old days it'd stick right back together, they put a little of this in with it, and it cuts the static electricity down."

Diatomaceous earth can also be used for a filler in medicine.

The company has three separate mines, two located south of George and one near the Gorge Amphitheater.

"The company forced this action," Larry Nickell, Teamsters Local 760 representative for the Columbia Basin said. "This isn't something we wanted to do. They've got scabs in there working. They brought them in about two weeks ago to start training in case there was a strike. They did not send any signals to us they were willing to bargain."

The generic term for the reasons for the strike is wages, hours and working conditions, Nickell said.

All Teamster member-employees are honoring the strike, Nickell said.

"It is unfortunate that the union has chosen to strike," said Jim Kuykendall, corporate counsel in North America for World Minerals, Inc. "The company has been negotiating in good faith in an effort to avoid a strike. Regardless of the strike, the company is and will continue to operate the plant to ensure we can meet the needs of our customers."

Kuykendall said the company has been negotiating in good faith.

"Why the union has chosen to strike is a question that is best answered by the union," he said.

Celite Corporation continues to operate the plant using supervisory personnel and replacement workers to ensure the company meets the needs of its customers, Kuykendall added.

"The union has told us they are not interested in meeting or negotiating any further," Kuykendall said.

Nickell allowed media to talk to the employees on strike at the site, with the understanding an official release from the union would be forthcoming later in the day.

"They were warned not to run the plant with scabs, so basically what happened is we let them start, the scabs started packing and taking away our jobs," longtime Celite employee Mark Wells said.

"It's not a good situation," Wells continued. "I've been here 28 years, a lot of these guys have. This new company, I guess, doesn't understand what negotiation's about. Instead of negotiating, they just want to take things away, basically saying, 'This is how it's going to be. If you don't like it, that's too bad.' And that's really not negotiations to us. And rather than keep losing, we decided we were going to go on strike. We have to do something to protect our jobs."

Wells hoped it would be possible to re-open discussions with Celite.

"I've got eight months until I retire," he said. "That's kind of tough. Give your whole life to a company and then suddenly they treat you like dirt."

As mine foreman, Hoglund, a Celite worker for 251/2 years admitted to feeling stuck between two worlds. He said his present crew is probably the most productive crew he's ever been around, and he has the utmost respect for their integrity. But he also did not blame local leaders at the Quincy site.

"All the decisions which are made are at the very least in California, and probably mostly in France," he said. "What the hell, they don't have anything to lose — their economy isn't going to suffer the least bit."

Hoglund said he feels the company doesn't trust the employees and pointed out how all equipment was moved from the company's various sites in the Columbia Basin to its main location property.

Bob Enyart retired from Celite in February after 281/2 years, but still showed up to picket and support his former co-workers.

"They called this morning, said they were out and I told my wife, 'I've got to go to town,' and here I am," he said.

"These are my people and I don't like this a bit," Enyart added.