“Scaring the Crap Out of the Company”
Stockton Truck Drivers Strategize at the Temple
By Adam Welch
Photos by Charisse Domingo

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I never thought fighting for workers rights would lead me here -– sitting in a Sikh Temple, meeting with a group of 45 Indian truck drivers.

This past summer they had organized Stockton's 250 truck drivers to go on strike in protest of the low wages due to the increasing gas costs they have to pay out of their own pockets. Now they wanted to talk to us about joining a union.

As fans blew overhead, we sat in a circle barefoot, with scarves covering our heads. The room had an alter in the middle, cabinets full of books and walls covered with pictures of Sikh religious figures and martyrs who had fought for freedom in India. The drivers wanted to know about what joining a union would mean, and how they would pick the issues to organize around. One of the other organizers and myself would answer in English and then another organizer would translate into their native language of Punjabi.

The room broke up into intense debate as each of the drivers went back and forth on where to start.   At one point a driver in a sports jersey, jeans and a turban stood up. I later learned he is a Sikh priest and one of the key leaders of the drivers. He said, in Punjabi, "We need to be strong and join the union, if anything it will scare the crap out of the company owners." His words had a powerful effect. After a few chaotic moments later, one of the drivers, Gill, announced, "OK, we voted. We want to join the union."   Then every single driver present joined on the spot.

Later that afternoon I left Stockton and just kept running the meeting through mind thinking about what an amazing moment that I just went through. I also remembered the drivers holding up their union membership cards, smiling, and hopeful.

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Photo Essay by Richard Babcock