The 'Heat and Hammer' Strategy: How 150 Workers Beat a $5 Billion Company

TL;DR: 150 logistics workers in Tacoma just won a contract with 50-60% raises and full benefits by refusing to play by the boss's rules. Their "heat and hammer" strategy—disrupting cargo flows until the company listened—is a blueprint for how workers win when the law is stacked against them. Here's exactly how they did it (and what it means for the rest of us).

Okay, Let's Unpack This...

Real talk: The law is not on our side.

Union-busting is technically illegal, but companies do it constantly because the fines are pocket change and the rewards are massive. (shocker) The National Labor Relations Act was written in 1935, and it shows—it's about as equipped to handle modern corporate union-busting as a typewriter is to handle Zoom calls.

But here's what just happened in Tacoma, Washington that made me sit up straight: 150 workers at Wallenius Wilhelmsen Logistics just won their first union contract with 50-60% raises, guaranteed healthcare, and the right to stop work over safety issues.

They did it by organizing a logistics facility that sits literally across the street from a major union port. The same company was paying these workers less than 40% of what union longshoremen earned doing the exact same work.

And they didn't win by being polite. They won by being disruptive.

The Setup: Same Work, Different Paycheck

Wallenius Wilhelmsen is the world's largest "roll-on, roll-off" cargo carrier. (Think: vehicles driven on and off ships.) In 2024, they made $5.3 billion in revenue and over $1 billion in profits.

Their Tacoma vehicle processing center prepares Hyundai, Nissan, and Volvo vehicles for dealerships—installing accessories, handling parts, quality control, body work, loading cars onto trains. Same work that union longshoremen do across the street. Different paycheck by more than half.

The International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) Local 23 knew this facility was an existential threat. If employers can maintain sweatshop conditions within arm's reach of union power, the whole standard collapses. That's why there's a "W" in ILWU—they've been organizing warehouses since the 1930s.

The Strategy: Heat and Hammer

Here's where it gets tactical. The workers didn't just file paperwork and wait. They built power before they had legal recognition.

Phase 1: The March on the Boss (2024)
Workers delivered a majority petition demanding action on injuries, forced overtime, 10-12 hour shifts, and unsafe equipment. Management's response? Threats of firing.

Phase 2: The Strike That Shut It Down (February 7, 2024)
One-day strike. Perfect timing: a vessel was offloading vehicles. Longshore workers refused to cross the picket line. Operations ground to a halt.

Next day: Workers announced they're joining ILWU Local 23. Wallenius flew in union-busters, spammed anti-union texts, held daily captive audience meetings. Workers still won the election 2-to-1 in March 2024.

The Contract Fight: Bargaining Is Where You Measure Strength

Here's a line from ILWU organizer Jon Brier that should be tattooed on every organizer's forearm:

"The bargaining table is only where we measure our strength. The job itself is where we have power."

Wallenius tried to run out the clock. They showed up late to negotiations, canceled dates, argued over the definition of "cool water." (yes, really)

Between bargaining sessions, they retaliated: unsafe assignments, fabricated write-ups, firings. The union filed 15 unfair labor practice charges.

Workers responded with two more strikes—including a four-day ULP strike after a bargaining committee member was fired. Longshore workers, truck drivers, and railroad workers honored the picket lines. Facility shut down again.

The International Play

Then Wallenius tried a new move: layoffs. They blamed "unreasonable union demands" and said GM imports were shifting back to Baltimore.

So the bargaining committee went international. Letters flooded in from Belgium, Benin, Bermuda, New Zealand, Ukraine, Uruguay. Dockworkers in Australia and Japan picketed Wallenius vessels and hand-delivered letters demanding good-faith bargaining.

Next bargaining session: Nine tentative agreements in two days.

On May 1, 2025—International Workers' Day—workers voted 97% yes on a contract with:

• 50-60% raises
• Full-time employment guarantees
• 95% employer-matched healthcare
• 3 weeks vacation after 3 years
• Right to stop work over safety issues

Best standards for vehicle processing workers in the country.

But Wait—There's More (Because Of Course There Is)

Less than a week into the new contract, Wallenius announced punitive layoffs. Flagrant violations followed: misclassifying workers into lower pay grades, denying medical leave, management doing bargaining unit work, understaffing.

The union has filed over 80 grievances since the contract started. Several have been won. Two rounds of recalls—including key bargaining committee leaders. One illegally fired member's case is heading to arbitration.

This is the part nobody talks about: Winning the contract isn't the finish line. It's the starting gun for enforcement.

What This Means for the Rest of Us

The "heat and hammer" model isn't unique to longshoremen. It's how workers win when the legal system is designed to slow you down.

The three moves:

1. Bring the heat: Disrupt operations where you have leverage (not just where it's convenient for the boss).
2. Drop the hammer: Use your existing power—solidarity from other workers, supply chain connections, public pressure—to make non-cooperation cost more than cooperation.
3. Organize the enforcement: A contract is only as strong as the workers willing to file grievances and hold the line.

ILWU is now organizing down supply chains in Hawaii, Oregon, California, and Oakland. They're talking about "bargaining to organize"—using their 2028 contract negotiations to demand organizing rights at non-union facilities owned by the same employers.

(If you're a longshore or warehouse worker reading this: ILWU's Organizing Department wants to talk to you. Seriously. They have a whole playbook.)

The Math on This

Let's be clear about what beat a $5 billion company: 150 workers who refused to be divided, 20-person bargaining committees who made retaliation backfire, and a union that understood power flows through supply chains—not just courtrooms.

The law says workers have the right to organize. The reality is companies spend billions making that right theoretical. These workers made it material.

And here's what keeps me up at night in a good way: This happened in 2024-2025, during one of the most hostile labor environments in decades. If they can win, the math isn't just mathing—it's multiplying.

Now, What Are We Doing About It?

If you're in a workplace where the conditions don't match the mission statement, here's your starter kit:

• Find your "across the street": Who has power near you? Adjacent unions? Community organizations? Customers who care?
• Map the leverage: Where does value flow through your workplace? That's where disruption hurts.
• Build the committee before you need it: The 20-person Wallenius bargaining committee wasn't an accident. It was strategy—too big to isolate, too distributed to intimidate.

Resource alert: Labor Notes has been covering these fights for decades. Their organizing stories are tactical gold. (Not sponsored—just actual utility.)

And if you're already in a union: Are you organizing the non-union facilities in your supply chain? Because if you're not, your employer is calculating how long until they can move your work there.

The Golden Girls taught us that female community is about showing up when it counts. These 150 workers in Tacoma showed up for each other across language barriers, management retaliation, and a rigged legal system. Dorothy would've had something sarcastic to say about the "cool water" argument. Rose would've brought snacks to the picket line. And Sophia would've reminded everyone that "Picture it: Sicily, 1922... we didn't win by being polite."

In solidarity and with a lot of coffee,
Maya

P.S. Bell Hooks barked at three delivery trucks while I dictated this. She understands supply chain solidarity.