Brooklyn

When they first walked off the job in June 1999, the 284 workers at the Domino Sugar refinery in Williamsburg had every reason to believe their fight was just and victory would be theirs. The British firm Tate & Lyle, the owner of Domino, had all but dared them to strike, proposing the elimination of 100 jobs, the right to subcontract out all work at will, and an end to extra weekend pay. The Domino workers have languished on the picket line through two summers, two falls, and another winter. In one of the most painful strikes in years in the metropolitan area, some 100 workers swallowed their pride and crossed their own picket line this spring. The remainder have stood strong, despite little aid from the top leaders of their powerful union, the International Longshoreman's Association. —Tom Robbins

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