Over 300 workers from a US car parts manufacturing company remain locked out after six months over a contract dispute.
Kongsberg manufacturing plant in Ohio makes makes gear boxes and transmission cables for Ford, General Motors and Chrysler.
Ohio is second only to Michigan in car production and it leads the nation in car part manufacturing.
United Steelworkers Union local president Aaron Collins said the owners of the plant wanted to cut their hourly wage from $14 to $9.
He said between wages and benefits that meant a 45-50 per cent reduction in workers' pay.
At union headquarters in Van Wert, members sell potatoes and apples to earn cash while others signed up for picket duty.
Union members have maintained a picket line for six months but not one has crossed it.
Some of the locked out employees had been at the car parts manufacturing plant for over 30 years.
The union said Kongsberg is now using temporary workers, mainly from nearby towns, with some jobs being moved to Mexico.
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