After almost a week of striking Bike Messengers and Intown Drivers agreed late January 18 to return to work after management agreed to work on the issues leading to the walkout. Since DMS workers have not yet voted to affiliate with the ILWU this was not considered a Union strike, and strike organizers made it clear that it was planned and executed by the workers themselves, not ILWU organizers. IlWU organizers and supporters were present throughout to lend support and guidance during this third DMS walkout in less than a year. (After the second walkout in April, many DMS union supporters left or were squeezed out of the company.)
This job action got ugly at times, with an attack on demonstrators on Monday after managers hired strikebreakers and demanded that workers turn in their radios. It looked at one point that it would never end, as both management and workers refused to concede. The strike caught management totally off guard on Wednesday the 12th, and many customers were forced to go elsewhere when in-town service had to be suspended.
Many suburban drivers were angered by the loss of income, and felt that planners should have consulted them. However, a few drivers suck up to management, and the element of surprise would have been lost. Even though this has been portrayed as a bike messenger strike, bikers bent over backwards to include driver and office worker issues. Many in-town and out of town drivers lent support by refusing bike tags, and some drivers stayed home.
Now that the strike is over, most workers hope that management will, in good faith, tackle the workplace problems facing all DMS workers. If anything, these activities have directed worldwide attention toward workplace problems all messengers face, namely shrinking paychecks, no benefits, favoritism, and poor working conditions. When the smoke clears, what will be left are many casualties, including workers losing income, bad feelings between messengers, and a bike messenger association president recuperating with a broken jaw.
No matter what happens with negotiations down the road, only a written contract with Union recognition can guarantee that DMS workers get what they have demanded for the last two years.
Brave striking workers at DMS should be credited with focusing attention on these important issues of justice in the workplace. Rather than pointing fingers, all of us need to heal these wounds and further efforts to improve working conditions in the entire messenger industry. By moving toward unity between bike messengers, vehicle messengers, walkers, and office workers, and with the help of experienced ILWU organizers, we can win the War on Low-Priced Tags.
