Okonite Employees Remain on Strike in Santa Maria for Cost of Living Equity
Jarrod Zinn
SANTA MARIA, Calif. – A workers strike in Santa Maria will soon enter its third week.
This dispute boils down to cost of living concerns.
The strike began on May 20th, and employees of Santa Maria’s Okonite company plant are holding firm in their demands.
With the support of Teamsters Local 986, about 160 employees at the Okonite plant in Santa Maria are on strike.
“You know, going into this, I wasn’t exactly sure how much support we’ve had. It’s exceeded all my expectations. Every expectation has been exceeded by the support of Local 986,” says Nicholas Chaycomas, Okonite company union shop steward.
Okonite manufactures heavy duty cabling that delivers power payload to residences and businesses across the country.
“The cable that we manufacture in here is made from the ground up. We build the strand, you know, the insulator, the shielding. We jacket it, we make a lot of cables that are bigger than what you would expect. Some of them get pretty big. About three and a half inches,” says Chaycomas.
One of Okonite’s biggest customers is PG&E, and Okonite cabling has been used to keep the Statue of Liberty’s torch lit up at night.
“We have not had any substantive dialog. And, you know, that’s probably to be expected this early on in the dispute. So right now, we’re still in the midst of this labor dispute. And our intent is to stay out here as long as we need to to get some sort of additional increase or some movement from the company on their wage proposal,” says Cliff Reynolds, with Teamsters Local 986.
Workers here say Okonite’s employees at the flagship plant in Richmond, Kentucky recently received a wage increase.
The increase made a difference there, but the cost of living in California is much higher.
Employees say they do similar work as the Kentucky employees and deserve an adequate boost in pay.
“We continue to get support from local groups and we’ve had a lot of folks come by beeping their horns, waving, stopping and dropping off, you know, supplies, beverages and food,” says Reynolds.
Union representatives also say they were disappointed by Okonite’s decision to cut the striking employees’ health benefits the day before they walked out.
“I have really good feelings about how things are proceeding. I don’t know what Okonite’s thinking, but I don’t think they can wait us out. We’re pretty, we’re pretty set,” says Chaycomas.
We’ve reached out to Okonite multiple times since the strike began and have not received a response.
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