'One day longer, one day stronger'

FINDLAY — UAW workers and supporters marched and chanted their way from a U-Haul Moving & Storage parking lot to the end of Marathon Boulevard beside the Freudenberg-NOK Sealing Technologies in Findlay Thursday afternoon for a combined food drive and solidarity rally in support of the striking workers of Freudenberg-NOK Sealing Technologies. Workers of UAW Local 1327 have been on strike since March 23. U.S. Rep. Marcy Kaptur, D-9, spoke at the rally from a letter she wrote to Claus Mohlenkamp, CEO of The Freudenberg Group, saying, "I write today to express my concern with the apparent suspension of labor contract talks" and that she "strongly urges both sides to return to the bargaining table and work positively and in good faith towards a fair and equitable labor contract for both the company and its loyal workforce." Kaptur addressed a crowd of over a dozen locals showing support for UAW Local 1327 during their strike. Tim Burga, head of the Ohio American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO), spoke briefly about the strength of unions, closing with chants of "one day longer ... one day stronger," referencing the resolve of collective action. Before ending the rally several union members stepped up to the mic to share their stories and express solidarity with fellow union workers. Food boxes donated through the Toledo UAW Community Action Program (CAP) Council were distributed to striking members.