Slideshow: Photos from the Hormel strike in Austin
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In the '80s, Hormel felt pressure to remain competitive in the meatpacking industry. When the company demanded a 23 percent wage cut, on August 17, 1985, about 1,500 workers with the United Food and Commercial Workers Union, Local P-9, in Austin walked off the job. The 10-month strike made national headlines and devastated the city. Families stopped talking. National Guard soldiers patrolled the streets to keep the peace. Red-faced screaming matches happened almost daily on the picket line. Check out the complete series "Austin at a Crossroads, 25 Years after the Hormel Strike"
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