800 Workers Walk Off Their Jobs at Wheel Factory

About 800 workers at the local factory of a Toronto-based wheel manufacturer have walked off their jobs to protest what they call heavier workloads without adequate compensation.

The strike virtually shut down the production of aluminum wheels at the main plant of American Racing Equipment Inc., 19200 S. Reyes Ave. Workers crowded the streets and parking lots around the plant Wednesday, milling quietly in large groups while employee representatives from several departments met with plant managers.

The workers, who are not represented by a union, are demanding better working conditions, more pay and a more comprehensive benefits package.

Management is “trying out new methods, making changes, and we don’t like it,” said Armando Gaipo, a mechanic at the plant.

“They have one person doing the job of three or four people,” he said, “but they are not paying us for that extra work. . . . There is too much pressure. It’s not safe.”

As the workload increases, so does the pressure to work faster, and some workers expressed concern that this could lead to accidents.

Employees said the average starting pay is $5.30 an hour but did not say how big a raise they are demanding. Company representatives could not be reached for comment.

American Racing Equipment Inc. is owned by Toronto-based Noranda Corp. and operates three plants in this small industrial town south of Compton. Workers walked out of the main plant, in which about 1,200 employees manufacture standard and custom aluminum wheels.

The remaining 800 or so employees, who work at corporate headquarters and the steel division of the plant, refused to join the walkout, striking workers said.

Troubles began early this year when management hired a consulting firm called Synergistics, striking workers said. Employees of the firm clocked employees at their jobs and recommended several changes.

Workers said Wednesday they did not know what recommendations had been made, but last week several employees were either fired or laid off, and the remaining employees were told to take over their workload.

On Sunday, foundry workers, who reportedly lost several employees in their department, began talking to other employees of the main plant about striking. On Monday, the entire second shift of about 300 employees walked off the job. On Tuesday, nearly all employees in the plant joined them, workers said.

The strike, which has paralyzed production, comes at a key time for the company, which is preparing to begin production of new rims for automobile companies, including General Motors and Ford. If the work orders are not met, the company will lose money, said Peter Olney, a coordinator for the International Union of Electronic, Electrical, Salaried, Machine & Furniture Workers.

Olney, who said representatives of his union will be meeting with the disgruntled workers, said he was impressed by the size and strength of the strike force.

“They are without union representation, and they succeeded in pulling off this type of strike,” Olney said. “Some unions exist for years without showing this much strength.”

Almost two years ago, employees rejected union representation in a close vote, workers said.

This is not the first time employees have walked out at the plant, striking workers said. In the early 1980s the plant, then under different ownership and called Los Angeles Modern Wheel, was hit by two job actions. Both times, workers said, their demands were met.