I.L.W.U. LOCAL 30 2/5/2010

This website is organized by members of the ILWU Local 30 who work at the US Borax/Rio Tinto mine in Boron, where we operate the largest open-pit mine in California and process borates that are used around the world to make glass, preserve wood, fight fires, fertilize plants, and a host of other products. Our goal is to keep everyone - including our customers - informed about our efforts to secure good jobs and protect the communities where we live.

We arrived at the line, telling the company: "We want to work!" Rio Tinto officials turned around and slinked back toward the mine.

Sharing the news - We made the front page of the LA Times!

Rio Tinto is bringing busloads of replacement workers who don't understand the meaning of "solidarity"

ILWU Locked Out Rio Tinto locked-out almost 600 from our jobs at the Borax mine and processing plant on Sunday morning, January 31, 2010 at 7am. Hundreds of us showed-up Sunday morning to make a powerful statement by appearing with our families at the gate, wearing our work clothes, carrying lunchboxes in one hand and American flags in the other. We marched up to the gate, proud and determined. When we got there, we told the company: "we're here to work; we have families and communities that depend on us, so open the gate and let us go to work. The company officials didn't know how to respond and just slinked away. The TV cameras and newspaper reporters watched the drama unfold, and then interviewed many of us who work at the mine, along with family members and community supporters for more than two hours. When we finished, we went to our union hall where we signed-up to join committees that will help us get through the hard times ahead – and let everyone know what Rio Tinto is doing to destroy good jobs and communities in our high-desert home. On Saturday, the day before Rio Tinto locked us out; we held an open union meeting that was attended by 500 workers. Almost everyone who wasn’t at work was there. We spent hours going over the company’s demands in detail. We asked questions and looked at it carefully, but when we were done, we took a vote and every single person in the room voted to reject the company’s demands. While Rio Tinto has shown that they don’t care for us and our communities, we’re more determined than ever to stand up and see this thing through. Too many people in America are losing good jobs and working harder, while big companies make billions and don’t play by the rules. That’s why we’re taking a stand in Boron, not just for ourselves and our communities, but for everyone in America who’s fed up with corporate greed and a system that doesn’t protect hard-working families.

Our families and community leaders joined us as we marched to tell Borax, "We want to work!"

- Click the Three Links Below to See What's Going On -ICEM condemns Rio Tinto for the vicious attacks on 560 miners. The International Longshore and Warehouse Union-Canada and it's fifteen thousand affiliates express outrage. International solidarity with locked out ILWU miners.

- Click the Links Below-Please become more informed and read the contract that Rio Tinto has proposed, so you can understand why we refuse to sign it! What is Rio Tinto proposing to its Union Employees?