Taiwanese workers hunger strike against Continental Carbon's lock-out of workers in Oklahoma: Five members of the Paper, Allied-Industrial, Chemical and Energy Workers International Union (PACE) announced that they will begin their hunger strike to protest the three-year lockout of PACE members at the Continental Carbon plant in Ponca City, Okla. Continental Carbon is a subsidiary of Taiwan Cement Corporation and China Synthetic Rubber Company, two companies controlled by the Koos Group of Taiwan. The three-year lockout in Oklahoma is the longest lockout in U.S. history by a foreign corporation. The hunger strike will commence immediately after Taiwan Cement's shareholder meeting that will take place on June 11, 2004 in Tapei, Taiwan. Three locked-out workers and two PACE officials will participate in the hunger strike. The Asian secretary for the International Federation of Chemical, Energy and Mine and General Workers' Unions, whose affiliates have over 20 million union members, will join the hunger strike next week.