Hunger Striker Collapses on Day 10

A laid-off Price Pfister worker in the 10th day of a hunger strike collapsed Saturday during a street-corner Mass outside the company’s factory.

Victoria Sevilla, 40, was treated at nearby Olive View/UCLA Medical Center and released, doctors said.

“I’d like to last until the end, but the doctor said I should stop,” Sevilla said quietly after revisiting her four fellow hunger strikers Saturday afternoon to wish them well. Sevilla was given medication for dizziness, headaches and cramps.

“I did the just thing. It was an experience I passed happy and sad,” she added.

Shortly after dozens of strike supporters gathered for the noon Mass, Sevilla doubled over with abdominal and chest pains. Friends fanned her and held a plastic bag as she repeatedly retched. Her blood pressure soared to 150 over 100.

As paramedics put Sevilla on a stretcher, protesters continued their prayers and hymns in Spanish. The four remaining strikers vowed to continue drinking only water and fruit juice and to maintain their vigil in folding chairs next to a mobile home, where they have slept since Nov. 21.

“We are just trying to touch the company’s heart,” striker Alejandra Torres said. “We had no idea how long this would last when we started.”

Price Pfister--the country’s third-largest faucet maker--recently shut down a foundry at the company’s Pacoima plant and nine months ago began laying off employees, shifting most of the 300 jobs to a plant in Mexico. Workers say they are striking for better severance pay and health benefits.

Felix Hernandez, a Teamsters Union organizer representing the workers, said the Black & Decker-owned company has offered half a week’s pay and a week’s health benefits for each year worked, up to 26 years. But workers want one week’s pay and two weeks’ health benefits per year worked, up to 30 years.

“They blame everyone but themselves for this situation,” Hernandez said of the company. “We have had to go to this extreme. These people are sacrificing their bodies on a holiday weekend when we’re supposed to be celebrating bounty.”

Company officials could not be reached for comment Saturday, but the company has said cutbacks were necessitated by costly state regulations requiring the firm to reduce the lead content of its faucets.

The hunger strike and accompanying protest, said supporter and Cal State Northridge student Filiberto Gonzalez, have been successful despite Sevilla’s hospitalization.

“It’s hard to see that, but on the other hand, it gives us an example of the kind of sacrifices people are willing to make,” he said.

Like many others, Gonzalez carried a sign that read, “Dignity and Respect for Price Pfister Workers.” White bedsheets tied to fences bore slogans such as “Price Pfister: Another NAFTA Nightmare.”

But not all supporters simply waved picket signs. A dozen dancers and musicians in traditional Aztec costumes performed on Paxton Street, drawing honks and waves from motorists.

Across the street, where the Mass was held, a handful of people from the town of Zapopan, Mexico, brought a statue of the state of Jalisco’s patron saint. Catholic customs hold that the 18-inch statue of the virgin wearing a flowing white dress and gold crown has healing powers comparable to those of the Virgin Mary.

Not far from the statue, striker Luis Cruz sat in his van, along with his wife, Lupita, and their 3- and 8-year-old children. Clad in sweatpants and sipping frequently from a water bottle, he offered a realistic view of the strike through an interpreter.

“Monday’s negotiations will be the measure of how much of an accomplishment this all was,” he said.

Staff writer Jose Cardenas contributed to this story.