Ex-Plimpton Press Workers Picket Norwood Bank Over Frozen Union Funds-November 13, 1973

Displaced Bookbinders Picket Norfolk County Trust Co. Following International Union Dispute and Court Restraining Order

NORWOOD — Already reeling from the abrupt closure of the Plimpton Press early last month and the loss of their anticipated pension benefits, former employees staged a spirited three-hour protest outside the Norwood branch of the Norfolk County Trust Co. on Washington Street.

Carrying signs and demanding access to their money, roughly 188 displaced workers picketed from noon to 3:30 p.m. to protest the bank’s refusal to cash individual checks drawn from a $73,320 fund belonging to Bookbinders Union Local 176B. The disputed monies—accumulated entirely from local workers’ dues after all regular taxes and assessments owed to the parent organization had been paid in full—were earmarked to be evenly divided, giving each unemployed worker roughly $390 to help navigate the upcoming holiday season without jobs.

Legal Showdown Between Local Leadership and International Affiliates

The standoff at the bank erupted after the Graphic Arts International Union, AFL-CIO intervened, instructing bank officials to freeze the local union accounts. Local President Donald Ronci charged that the bank acted without a valid court order when it refused to honor the checks, despite the local account being held explicitly in the local union’s name.

The conflict escalated rapidly when Norfolk Superior Court Judge Robert Hallisey issued a temporary restraining order barring payments on the account, pending a formal injunction hearing scheduled within 10 days. The international affiliate, represented by lawyer John Wickham, defended the freeze by alleging that local officers engaged in “financial malpractice” by attempting to distribute funds contrary to union bylaws and charters, thereby cutting out a considerable group of present and former members entitled to a share. Furthermore, Wickham noted that international officials had suspended the local officers over the dispute.

Local union leaders vehemently denied the allegations. Ronci maintained that an independent audit of the local’s books conducted two weeks prior showed all finances in perfect order. Local members voiced intense frustration over the freeze:

• Claes Flinkman: A trimming machine operator at Plimpton for 21 years, stated, “It’s our money. I can’t imagine why they don’t cash our checks.” He noted that the freeze even prevented local officers from purchasing funeral flowers on credit for recently deceased members.
• Margaret Prou: A resident of Lenox Street who worked at the press since 1955, declared, “I worked at Plimpton since 1955 and did anything they asked me to, including men’s work. Now I’m not working and turkey is 90 cents a pound. This money is ours and we want it. It does not belong to the international union — we have paid them.”
• Stephen Melish: A folding machine operator with 21 years of service, added, “This is unfair and has nothing to do with the international union. We paid them their dues. This money has accumulated over the years for our benefit.”

Regional representative Leo F. Doyle and international legal counsel declined to comment on the situation as legal battles loomed over the disposition of the funds.

Archival Note: This article has been dynamically reconstructed from the original public record print archives of the Patriot Ledger