Esperanza and Gavino Aguayo, No. 2, Hispanic Oral Histories, Accn 1369

Page 47

OHI E&G Aguayo 3-4-85 s6:45 I looked at the lock, I can so I got a piece of wood and stuck it in the key h ole a nd broke it off . And stood by it. Andfuen\E waited until the next b us load come in . And they couldn't get in the gate. (laughs) Didn't do nothing,eccept hurt the lock until they come in with cutters andcut thelo ck off. You know, that's no big deal. That's about the extent o f the rowdiness that you-- L The company 'sway of handling a strike was just to starve you guys, keep it goinga long time. GA I think it was-I think they used to use that as a way to keep prices up, more or less anything. Now, there's really nothing tokeep it up. I think at that time, they usually decide, prices are down, we've got too much production, ~·11 shut this one down for awhile. But you can't shut it. You know, everybody goes on unemployment. It cost the company money. So bey find a little way, you know, they'll tell you, we~re not going to give you no raise this time. All you haveto do that and everybody's upset. I even used to think sometimes the unions were in .collusion with them Becuase they knew the strike wasn't-it wasn't so much a matter of strike, it was just the matter of fact that you close the mine down until prduction cuts down. You know, it's just --it was just that idea. You shut production, you know, the mine down until the costs go back up, until - and pretty soon, they come up and you'll settle for about what wasoffered the first time anyway. I think was verylittle I think until until we got the cost of living, I think we were just going out for pennies all the time.