On The Line At The Daycon Strike

(Metropolitan Washington Council, AFL-CIO)

“Truck!” comes the call. “Truck coming through!” A dozen striking Teamsters converge as the Daycon truck reluctantly slows and stops at the entrance to company’s Upper Marlboro plant. While a couple of the strikers taunt the driver inside, the others note the truck’s number, which tells them where it’s heading off to deliver cleaning and maintenance supplies. When the truck pulls out, a couple of Teamsters are following close behind. “Ambulatory picketing,” explains Local 639 Vice President Phil Giles. “When they get to the customer, we’ll jump out and picket.” Daniel Higgs, a grizzled 20-year veteran driver for Daycon, says that the strike – now in its second day -- is about respect, not money. “It’s not that they don’t have the money,” he says early Tuesday morning as the first glimmers of dawn are trying to break through overcast skies. “They brag about all the money they’re making,” agrees Hubert Taylor, another longtime driver. “They just want to break the union.” As passing trucks honk their support, Taylor reminisces about how Daycon “only had eight trucks 20 years ago and now they’ve got almost 30 trucks” and dominate the area cleaning and maintenance supply business. “They’re the Wal-Mart of janitorial services,” says Business Rep Howard Marshall, Jr. “We helped them build the company and now they want to get rid of us,” adds Taylor. A truck pulls in with a delivery for Daycon, but after learning that it’s being struck, the driver turns his rig around and heads out, his load undelivered. The strikers gather around Teamsters Business Agent Doug Webber as they assemble the target list of Daycon customers, which include household names like The White House, Georgetown University and The Pentagon. “The owner told me ‘Danny, the only way you’re going to get anything out of me is to fight me. Well, alright then,” says Higgs. The Community Services Agency is encouraging people to help support the strikers; donations earmarked “IBT Strikers” can be sent to the CSA at 888 16th Street, NW, Suite 520, Washington, DC 20006. - report/photos by Chris Garlock; photo (top): Teamsters Business Agent Doug Webber (l), with  Howard Brown (center) and Daycon union steward Eugene Brown (r)