Tuesday, October 17, 2006

Caroline Lund

My coworker for 13 years died from ALS (Lou Gehrig's disease) on Saturday. There will be a memorial meeting for the Bay Area on November 11, 2 p.m., at the Fellowship of Humanity Hall, 390 27th Street, Oakland (near Telegraph and Broadway).

Caroline was a member of the UAW Local 2244 Executive Board, but her best work was done talking to Union members on the shop floor, and publishing "The Barking Dog". She offered the membership an alternative to the collaborative 'business unionism' of the UAW.

Caroline and I organized a fund raiser in 1995 for workers locked out by the A.E.Staley company in Decatur Illinois. This was the first such solidarity drive at a US Toyota factory, and something I am very proud of. I think we raised about $6,000. More importantly we spoke with coworkers about the issues surrounding the lock-out, and the other strikes in Decatur at Bridgestone/Firestone, and Caterpillar.

Caroline was educated and well spoken. She was always more than a match for management and the conservatives in our Union. Her achievements for the membership are too long to list here. We will miss her.

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