These pictures taken at the branch election cost me my job., 1.5 year after the mass dismissal of 1350 wakers in 1978,
I'm currently making digital scans of all the paper documents related to my case that have been used in court.
These pictures are part of them.
In the original picture I submitted to the court there was a huge wall covering almost the whole left side frame.
Many people could be seen behind the wall in the background.
I cut off the wall scene to depict a more impressive scene.
It was an unprecedented election campaign.
All seven union leaders of Hachioji Branch decided to give up from running as candidates.
They had already been suffering discrimination because of they refused the dismissal.
Then at the beginning, only candidates backed by the company ran for the election.
So I run for as the candidate to criticize company discriminations in the work place.
Becoming a supporter to the company side candidates was the ultimate loyalty test along with not taking flyers from fired workers and doing the " calisthenics".
I refer to this episode to illustrate "corporate fascism" in my concert.
It is mentioned in my song "Case of K"
The employees who accepted this loyalty test couldn't refuse subsequent loyalty test which agreeing to kick out people who were supporting the struggling of fired wakers from their work place social circles.
I was fired one year after this election.
It may were small things that just left from the convention, by warned by their boss or read the atmosphere,for the individual people in this picture .
But it made serious results as a whole.
A lot of sad story happened under the labor union born at this election, which never refuse the "rationalization"of company.
I concern the issue of Hinpomaru Kimigayo, national flag and anthem, as the loyalty test to the authority, because of this experience.
27 years after this incident, Hachioji factory was divided and soled to another company, Rome.
The union didn't refuse it.
Rome already announced cut of the workers.