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Dockers Gather to Remember, Rededicate New Labor Federation Change to Win Founds

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Dockers Gather to Remember, Rededicate New Labor Federation Change to Win Founds Published by the International Longshore and Warehouse Union The Dispatcher (ISSN 0012-3765) is published monthly except for a combined July/August issue, for $5.00 a year and Vol. 63, No. 9 $10.00 a year for non-members by the ILWU, 1188 Franklin St., San Francisco, CA 94109. Periodical postage paid at San October 2005 Francisco, CA. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to The Dispatcher, 1188 Franklin St., San Francisco , CA 94109. www.ilwu.org Liverpool 10th . anniversary: Dockers gather to remember, rededicate page 3 ORAL HISTORY: Sam Kagel and the warehouse `March Inland' pages 6-7 Change to Win founds new labor federation pages 8 INSIDE Washington Report: Protecting the ILWU-PMA pension plan from Congress ... page How the other half percent die.. .......................... .... page 5 LEADership seminar focuses on democracy and participation ............... page 9 Columbia River District Council President Jeff Smith honored .............. page I I October 2005 Inside Line i'it: si ii : x'r's lii: l1lllt'1' IT'S IN THE AIR The old saw of environment versus jobs is dying hard, but its Remembering the past to better the future days are numbered. The idea that concern for not being killed by poi- By James Spinosa sons and pollution is a "job-killing" Minister John Howard and Patrick's Stevedoring moved against ILWU International President policy is almost a thing of the past. the Maritime Union of Australia. This time the international dockers More and more workers and their Time goes so fast in our hectic, modern world that taking the movement mobilized quickly and with multiple actions. unions are understanding this is a time to look back-even a short while-is hard to find. Seeing the The ILWU took action against the first scab-loaded ship from false choice, imposed by the owning patterns in those events and trying to figure out what they mean Australia, the Columbus Canada, when it came to the U.S. Again, class to make working people pay for our future is even harder. But what happens to the ILWU, our ILWU members, this time at the Port of Los Angeles, wouldn't for profit and privilege one way or members and their families, and what happens to the working cross a community picket line to work the cargo. The ship was the other. It's not acceptable that the only way to make a living means people of this country and around the world depends on our figur- sent back down under and reloaded by union labor. Other docker over the long run killing yourself, ing it out. unions around the world also responded immediately with solidar- your family and your community. In late September I and 15 other ILWU officers and rank and ity actions, and the combined effect backed down our enemies. It's been 35 years since the first filers flew to Liverpool, Great Britain. We went to participate in a When the employers and the state of South Carolina decided Earth Day sought to bring environ- commemoration of a dock worker struggle 10 years ago that has to test the strength of ILA Charleston Local 1422 in January 2000, mental consciousness to the gen- defined port labor relations around the world ever since (see story bringing in scab labor to do the local's work, the union longshore eral public. Most of today's workers workers set up a picket line. When a massive police force was grew up with that as an accepted page 3). sent in to bust heads and imprison workers like they used to do in background moral. We now all recy- As part of an anti-union campaign in Great Britain in the cle, try to avoid chemicals in our 1980s conservative Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher's govern- the Old South, the ILWU was there immediately to say "No!" And food and water and know we should ment abolished the country's National Dock Labour Scheme set we moved quickly to rally other unions, union federations and civil conserve water and energy even if up after WWII that nationalized the ports and guaranteed job secu- rights and community groups to the cause. we don't always do all we could. rity for union dockers. The ports were privatized and casual, non- Then the Spanish dockers of Coordinadora backed us up Manufacturing and the ever- union workers brought in to replace the union ones. The Liverpool with targeted pressure on the employer that had used scab labor increasing transportation industry dockers, some of the country's strongest and most militant union in Charleston. That pressure made the employer back down, and in the U.S. and Canada have been the right-wing state Attorney General spearheading the case saw coming under increasing scrutiny workers, resisted the buyouts and held onto their jobs. and criticism as their health affects But in September his political career van- accumulate and become statistical- 1995 a group of about ish, the Charleston Five ly obvious. Not surprisingly, where 80 dockers set up a won their freedom and pollution is at its worse-in the spontaneous picket At the gathering in the longshore workers California ports of Los Angeles, line when about 20 of of Charleston are stron- Long Beach and Oakland-is where Liverpool, leaders ger than ever. the movement against it is organiz- their co-workers were Then came the ing the strongest and loudest. fired and replaced Now the LA Harbor Commis- by non-union work- of docker unions ILWU's turn with our sion, with anti-pollution pioneer ers. The remaining 2002 negotiations. Sure S. David Freeman as its new presi- 400 dockers refused around the world we played that bargain- dent and ILWU Local 13 member to cross the line. An ing tough and shrewd. and Southern California District injury to one was an recommitted And we had big sup- Council President Joe Radisich, is port throughout the moving rapidly and radically to injury to all. American labor move- make Los Angeles the international For their efforts themselves to each model of a low-pollution port. They all the Liverpool dock- ment. But the employ- understand that jobs and economic ers were sacked and other and the inter- ers also knew the ILWU expansion need sustainable systems replaced by non-union belonged to internation- and bold action. They are looking ! workers. In response, national movement al dockworker associa- to quickly put in place new tech- the dockers, who had tions that were commit- nologies for low- or no-polluting a history of solidarity, ted to supporting us. equipment for docking vessels, yard to keep our ports That gave the employ- equipment, trucks and railroads. taking actions in sup- ers pause and saw us Whether the Commission's port of South Africa's union and safe. ambitious goals can be achieved, anti-apartheid move- through to our victory. especially in the time frame being ment, against Chile's In all their calcu- projected, remains to be seen. But military dictatorship and others, tried to organize an international lations, there was one it certainly won't happen with that movement in support of themselves this time. variable the employers could never quite account for. They could aggressive attitude, without the The ILWU understood the significance of this episode early never quite comprehend workers' empathy and compassion for approach that you can both clean on, understood that if long-unionized dockers in a major world each other, in a word-solidarity. up and grow the port. At the gathering in Liverpool, leaders of docker unions around Diesel pollution has been a com- port could be quickly replaced by casual workers laboring without munity issue for more than 15 years guaranteed wages and conditions, it could happen to any long- the world recommitted themselves to each other and the inter- in the poor, mainly African American, shore union. Our members contributed heavily to the financial national movement to keep our ports union and safe. We have a West Oakland neighborhood adja- support of the unemployed Liverpool dockers while they kept up common understanding of what we are up against, the globalized cent to the port. Asthma and lead their picketing and fighting to get their jobs back. forces seeking to eliminate strong, unionized port workers. And poisoning have been endemic in the In 1997 the Neptune Jade, a ship loaded by the employer that we are using that knowledge and new technologies to globally children there for years. fired the Liverpool dockers, sailed into the Port of Oakland. ILWU organize and protect ourselves. So a movement to change the The ILWU has been in the forefront of this international docker laws and culture of pollution has members refused to cross a community picket line and wouldn't arisen there, a coalition of envi- touch the cargo. The ship sailed on to Vancouver, B.C. where organizing. We belong to both the International Transport Workers' ronmental, health and community ILWU members there also refused to handle it. Japanese dockers Federation (ITF) and the International Dockworker Council (IDC), groups. The ILWU, many of whose gave it a similar greeting when it went there. The action buoyed solidifying our network of support. We are doing what we need to local members are from the area, the Liverpool dockers' hopes, but was not by itself enough to win do to be prepared for our 2008 negotiations. has added its authentic voice, lend- them back their jobs. The international dock workers movement But our employers are relentless. They have no intention of ing clout, legitimacy and moral wasn't united and coordinated enough at that time to beat back conceding our victories and trying to peacefully co-exist.
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