Rusty Strings Collective

0 – Standing Tall
Recorded by: Ryan Williams
From the Album: New/Unreleased

Lyrics and notes

This is a new song from a sort of perspective of one of the 63 Steelworkers who are locked out of their jobs at Calgon Carbon on Neville Island in Pittsburgh. While the top 6 bosses got an average raise of 50% from 2006 to 2007, the workers received demands from the company to give up their retirees' pension plans and their health insurance. The Calgon workers from Steelworkers local 5032 have been locked out of their jobs since February 29 at midnight.

It is important for us, as a community, to stand alongside them in solidarity as they fight, not only for their own welfare, but for the welfare of us all. Just like so many other struggles, when we let our friends and neighbors be pushed around, we set precedent for ourselves to be next. While the bosses fight for money and power, we can hold our heads high knowing that we fight for a world in which we all work together and look out for each other. When push comes to shove, Calgon had better hope they don't get knocked the fuck over.

Here's an article from the USW webpage: http://www.usw.org/usw/program/content/4572.php

There will be more to come.

Here are the lyrics:

We're fighting for our families and we're fighting for ourselves
We're fighting for our futures and we're fighting for our health
'Cause when they push us and we don't push back, like dominoes we fall
So when we push back for one, we push back for all.

We responded to your pleas, helped keep the company afloat
but when the market started booming you went straight for our throats
50% raises for top management while you make incredible demands
to end our health insurance and our retiree's pension plans.

We spend our days working with carcinogens while you spend yours with a pen
signing orders to betray us when we stop giving in
now you've gone too far, you've locked us out, but if you think we're going to bend
you'd better think again, we're in this 'til we win.

Oh Calgon, oh Calgon your day is coming soon
You don't know what you're up against, we're the 5032
All we want is a fair contract and justice for us all
You can try to bring us to our knees but we're standing tall.