If there are any doubters out there that Occupy has not been co-opted by the Unions, one would have to be seriously delusional. This goes beyond the pale, and speaks volumes of the mentality of the Unions and its members. They are willing to cut off their noses despite their faces. This company, ALC has always been a bright star for the our community. I hope the company hires all new employees and leaves the Union strikers left in the dust.

I agree with David.

David and Lisa are obviously managers with the American Licorice Company. Don't believe the hype. ALC is offering a "healthcare package" that would make all workers have to pay $3000 up front each year in order to receive health insurance. The workers can't afford that. This is the Occupy movement going farther than what unions can do. Not being co-opted. Making a NEW labor movement that's not hindered by terrible labor laws.

Please Bankrobber. Dont insult the people and readers with your anarchist disinformation. I also dont like the fact that you try to marginalize intelligent answers by calling me an insider for ALC. I am no such thing. I am however a very small business owner and have met a payroll for many years. Regardless of your Union mentality, ALC has the right to hire all new employees across the board and there is nothing that the Union or a co-opted Occupy can do about it. Period. How will all the ALC employees families and children feel when this inevitably happens as it has happened time and time again. They are going to look back at the Union which was supposedly there to help them and say "What just happened, we just got replaced". Furthermore, as a business owner I can tell you that they will also be ineligible for unemployment as they will have been replaced and not laid off. Bad timing on the part of the employees and worse advice from the Unions.

The glee with which David finds in the possibility of mass firings, sending hard working immigrants and families scrambling speaks volumes. He speaks of marginalizing people, but then throws out the scary word "anarchist" at an attempt to wholly discredit the opinions of another. I'd be interested in knowing just what business David operates, and whether his employees would find comfort knowing their employer favors such wholesale dismissals in this economy. It would also be interesting to know if any workers at ALC patronize David's business, and whether or not they would still be able to do so after being fired from ALC, or after being forced to accept a contract that severely cuts into their income.

What a complete joke... any support these union workers had is now completely out the window.

No one is saying that the workers are "anarchists". The Occupy nut jobs ARE in many cases anarchists... blocking deliveries to the factory? Give me a break.

“We’re forcing the people who consider this to be their domain to sneak through the back door, which I think is shameful,” said Occupy protester Shon Kay, 32, of Oakland.

...THIS sounds pretty anarchist to me. Dude, you're 32 years old. Why don't you get a job and contribute something to society instead of being a professional agitator, leech, and loser.

David- If the workers at the ALC plant so choose, the OWS movement will block scab workers and cargo from going in and out of the factory until the company caves in. No "hiring workers across the board" because no scab workers will get in. At that point, the workers will get the health care benefits they are asking for. The reason why unions have lost before is that they are playing by the laws. The OWS movement does what's right, which is not always what's legal. So, we'll shut them down until they capitulate.

Wow, Kelly. I see you too have a vendetta against small business owners. I had to let many of my long time personal employees go through no fault of my own. Was I supposed to eat the rising costs of healtcare myself? You all act like ALC is JP Morgan, Citibank, or BofA with billions upon billions to throw around. There is no usurping going on by ALC. Additionally, the facts about Unions are as old as time. Do you even know the historical origins of Unions? Their roots lie in the medieval guilds whose charters often approached monopoly conditions and that is where they remain to this day. Glee? I dont think so. Being an immigrant has nothing to do with the situation whatsoever. They have brought this about themselves, and this in and of itself is extortion by the employees. That is why I said what I said. There are thousands and thousands of hard workers willing to cross the picketline today, right now as we speak. These employees are following the Unions straight to their demise and it is sad and unfortunate.

Tim- there doesn't have to be "violence" to stop scabs from coming in. If we have, say, 300-500 people out there we can physically block all movement in and out of the factory. This will be to many people for the police to handle and they won't attempt arrests. One reason why they won't is that they don't want media attention positing the workers and OWS on one side and police on the other. That would instill way more support for the OWS movement from the average everyday worker. Dave- you're a nutjob wacko. Yes, you, the employer were supposed to foot the rising cost of healthcare.

Thanks for disparaging me bankrobber, it shows your lack of knowledge with regard to how a business operates. Read Adam Smith one time. I dont know why I feel the need to defend myself, but I could not afford to pay 100% premium hikes on all my employees. It would have shut me down, then everyone would have been out of the job including the business owner himself. That is the point I first made, that the Unions are willing to cut off their noses despite their faces and lead their "sheep" to the slaughter.

Bankrobber, first of all, nice choice of name. If you want to be taken seriously then you might want to pick a more civilized name. Secondly, you are openly lying in your post. ALC's offer includes zero ($0, nothing, zip, FREE) healthcare cost for workers. They will put $3000 in your HSA account. You don't even have to pay copays to see a doctor. Healthcare for you is all absolutly FREE. Here's the best part. If you don't use the $3000, it is yours to keep. Roll it into next year or roll it till you retire. It is your money. YOUR money. The Union bosses are lying to you if they are not telling you these facts. FREE money. But your name suggests that you are used to FREE money.

Voice Of America- if I was used to free money I would have just called myself "Bank". Your facts are wrong. If that were true, there'd be no difference between what the company wants and what the workers want.

As I said before and I will say it again Democrats,
Tea Party Republicans or who ever, They never done anything for the people but take from us until there is no more to take,

And then they kick our asses out of are homes, our lands to the belly of the beast (THE STREETS)

And that when this government & big business the 1 % want to tax you even more the 99 % , So they can have even more of a fat ass wallets and more power than the 99%.

I want all of us to see were our money go, And to be free to decide how to spend every tax dollars that we pay everyday everywhere we go to our working live to our home life.

I trust no government & big business to tax control & regulate anything.
When we the people get someone in office who is not all mouth and no action and he or she will chance everything were it is for the 99%. Only,
That when I will vote again and to take down the 1 % and who ever stand with them….

You people who oppose Occupy, the unions or any other progressive movement. Open up your eyes, your ears and your mind. Read, research, listen and learn. Ask yourselves why these movements exist. Give an educated opinion on something for once. Will you be satisfied when the corporate state controls everyone and everything. When the entire middle and working classes are reduced to legions of disaffected working poor. When the planet is a dying and dried out husk due to unregulated exploitation of dwindling resources. Occupy common sense and decency. You brainwashed sycophants epitomize the cutting off of your nose to spite your face.

People need to stop using the Hot Topic definition of "anarchist" and look at the true tenets of anarchism before deeming it a "scary word". Bunch of armchair critics. If you are so pissed off, go down there and say something. This is happening in real time, where you could have your voice heard. If you don't like things, fight to change them. Or namecall online. Whichever's best for you.

Thanks for the enlightenment Tim. Your knowledge of the what ails global capitalism is astounding. As are your general hypothesis. I`m neither American, unemployed or brainwashed. What I am is intelligent, and impeccably read and researched. Therefore I'm able to form defensible positions on matters that are beyond your somewhat limited wit. In fact Tim, you deserve to be debating these matters with me, about as much as Elvis Presley deserved his black belt in karate. Shall I now expect threats of violence on my person, or perhaps remarks questioning my sexual orientation? Please, prove me wrong. Debate the facts as they stand. Don't feed me MSM drivel.

Tim, you said it. Shrinking minority indeed. So much so that I just drove by ALC plant and there are no more strikers standing out there. Looks to me like the Union called off their dogs and the employees have gone home. If this is the case the employees have made a wise decision not to strike any further. Like I stated from the onset of this thread, there are 1000's ready to jump in for an awesome job with ALC. They must have come to their senses. This is good news for our town.

Hey folks, just got word from union officials that the strike has ended. Despite the 35-day strike, the workers ultimately caved to the company's initial offer. Will have more to report as info comes in. For now, here's a report: http://patch.com/A-qcrB

How simple you 'champions' of the status quo, you apologists of the 1% remain. You know nothing. You are nothing. Sheeple.

Interesting how Patch is so one sided in this reporting, so much so that the American Licorice Company forwarded people from their twitter feed to these articles, almost like they were paying for the reporting and the commenting happening on this site to try to distort the message on their union busting tactics. Lets get real here, the only people commenting negative on this strike claim to be "small business owners" but the majority of american are laborers. This is a labor city and union city is a labor town.

Amazing how the articles and comments on patch are much more pro-business than those on other local websites, its almost like the American Licorice Company paid for these comments and articles, what a shame.

Si se puede!!!!!