Mike Jackson grew up in Henry County, Ky., and started working at Ohio Valley Aluminum in nearby Shelbyville in 1980. Over the years, Jackson worked in many different capacities at the plant, including most recently in the maintenance department, where his job was to purchase parts and equipment.
The job was not ideal. The building where Jackson worked was partially open, with no protection from winter's cold or summer's heat. The health insurance benefits Ohio Valley Aluminum provided its workers had high worker-paid premiums that increased steadily over the years while wage increases and bonuses slowed to a trickle. On top of all this, management often asked Jackson to work so many overtime hours, he often wouldn’t have a day off for two or three months in a row.
As Jackson says: “There came a point where you had to draw a line in the sand.” In spring 2006, Jackson and his co-workers decided that forming a union as part of the United Steelworkers (USW) was the only way they could change the problems they were facing on the job.
When Ohio Valley Aluminum found out the workers were talking with each other about forming a union, they did everything they could to discourage them. They hired a large Kentucky law firm to supply them with anti-union materials, mailed and handed out hundreds of fliers and held mandatory meetings with the plant CEO once or twice per week, urging workers to oppose the organizing effort.
When the Ohio Valley Aluminum workers voted 4–to–1 anyway in favor of forming a union, the company still would not bargain with them. Frustrated, the workers went on strike. After a month, Jackson and his co-workers decided to return to work, hoping the company had gotten the message and would negotiate. But as soon as they did, Jackson and eight other employees were suspended for what the company alleged was misconduct. Jackson says many of these employees were some of the most vocal supporters of the union. Just a week later, the USW local union received a letter saying that based on the company’s investigation, Jackson and four of the other suspended workers were fired.
Jackson was unemployed for nearly a full year until the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) issued a formal complaint on his behalf against the company. The company made several different offers on back pay and reinstatement before Jackson was finally reinstated Dec. 10, 2007, to his original position. The level of back pay is still in dispute, but he expects it to be resolved soon. He continues to be determined to stand up together with his co-workers to demand their right to bargain for better lives. “I’m glad that I can still hold my head up and know that I did the right thing,” he says.
