Published by the International Longshore and Warehouse Union DISPATCHER www.ilwu.org VOL 74, NO 11 • DECEMBER 2016 THE INSIDE NEWS HOLIDAY BOOKS 4&5 ILWU members help Alaska public radio survive 7 ILWU Canada members fight to protect maritime jobs 8 TRANSITIONS 7 Getting out the vote in Missouri: Local 5 member Ron Solomon talks with a Missouri voter about the issues facing working class Americans. The ILWU sent teams to support pro-union candidates in six states. Trump stuns the establishment; union ILWU solidarity helps Hanjin seafarers defend their right to shore leave page 6 members face challenges onald Trump stunned the scapegoating, racism and threats to have that were gone now because the political establish- of violence that Trump used to of NAFTA,” said Local 6 member ment on November 8 manipulate media coverage and tap Victor Pamiroyan who travelled to D into dangerous hate politics. Nobody Ohio with Erik Ferrel of the IBU with a knockout blow to can say for sure whether Sanders and Local 5’s Mark Sailor and Ron conventional wisdom and would have prevailed over Trump Solomon. The quartet hoped to corporate liberalism, delivered if he were running instead of Clin- win support for pro-union Sen- by angry working-class voters. ton, but he did prove it was possible ate candidate Ted Strickland, but “America’s working class has to win big support from working quickly came to realize how hard been frozen out or falling behind class and independent voters in their task was to reach voters who for three decades while the upper Michigan and Wisconsin who em- had been hammered by decades of crust has been partying with braced Sanders over Clinton in both job losses. “Seeing all those empty Washington insiders and Wall primary elections. factories as I drove into town from the airport was really shocking,” Streeters from both parties,” said The only vote that counts said Pamiroyan. ILWU International President Bob The final results show that McEllrath. “Trump tapped into that Clinton won the overall “popular” ILWU helps in six states anger while his opponent stood for vote, but she failed to win according The ILWU sent small teams of the establishment.” to America’s peculiar Electoral union members to six key states dur- Would Bernie have done better? College system that gave Donald ing the final two weeks of the elec- The ILWU backed Bernie Sand- Trump the White House after tion: Florida, Nevada, Ohio, Penn- ers during the primaries because he winning the decisive “rust-belt sylvania, Wisconsin and Missouri. spoke honestly about working class battleground” states where working After arriving, each team connected anger, the loss of good jobs and cor- class voters, including current and with other union members who were ruption of the political process. And former union members, chose Trump part of a coordinated campaign effort unlike Trump, Sanders also offered as their change agent in Wisconsin, to contact union households and specific proposals to make things Michigan, Pennsylvania and Ohio. encourage them to vote for pro-union candidates. Each of the six states better, including Medicare for All, Voters were hurting had a competitive U.S. Senate race free tuition at public colleges, and “I kept meeting people at their where union-friendly candidates ending the corrupt campaign finance homes around Cleveland who told system. He made his appeals without me about the good jobs they used continued on page 2 Postmaster: Send address changes to The Dispatcher, 1188 Franklin St., San Francisco, CA 94109-6800. Postmaster: Send address changes to The Dispatcher, DISPATCHER • December 2016 1 Trump stuns the establishment; union members face challenges continued from page 1 dient that secured anti-union politi- were hoping to defeat anti-union cal support from working class voters incumbents or challengers. in the Rust Belt were “wedge issues” including abortion, gay rights, gun Hoping to tip the balance control and school prayer. Trump The hope was that winning U.S. arrived in the Rust Belt prepared with Senate races in four or five states talking points that fit neatly into a nar- could change the balance of power in rative provided by anti-union politi- the Senate, to prevent Congress from cians who are skilled at winning work- passing more anti-union legislation. ing class votes. Polling by the AFL-CIO That effort to elect four new pro-union found over 40% of union members in senators failed, giving Trump a better these states were willing to vote for chance to pass anti-union laws that anti-union candidates, and claim that Our team in Ohio: (L-R) Team Leader Erik Ferrel from IBU’s Puget Sound Re- will hurt working families and union number fell to 30 percent after educa- members. gion, Local 6 member Victor Pamiroyan, Political Director Dan O’Malley of the North tion and outreach work. Bernie Sand- Shore Central Labor Council, ILWU Local 5 member Mark Sailor, Cleveland Canvassing Anti-union history ers proved that he could win back Director Zachary Ogle and Get-Out The Vote Director Jessica Weinstein from Zone 2 Trump managed to win most of most of those voters with a positive, in Ohio. the working class votes – estimated to pro-union message, but the AFL-CIO were warmly welcomed by most resi- by ILWU members and other union be 40% of the total – despite his clear and most large unions refused to sup- dents in the predominantly immigrant volunteers, pro-union Senate candidate record of anti-union behavior. port him. Hillary Clinton struggled to win working class voters and was neighborhoods of Kendall near Miami. and former Ohio Governor Ted “Trump’s view about unions is easily dismissed as dishonest, entitled “Many didn’t speak much English, but Strickland was crushed by anti-union pretty clear,” said President McEllrath. and more in touch with Wall Street their faces really lit up when they saw incumbent Rob Portman, who won by “There were picket lines in front of than Main Street. The Clinton’s history who we were supporting,” said Jack- 21 percent and over a million votes. Trump’s hotel in Las Vegas because son. On a quick road trip they took of supporting free trade agreements Wondering about Wisconsin workers inside couldn’t get him to further south of Miami, they noticed like NAFTA and hob-knobbing with ILWU Legislative Assistant Bianca negotiate and the National Labor a lot more Trump signs. Senate chal- elites made her damaged goods on Bloomquist and Local 13’s Christine Relations Board just filed charges lenger Patrick Murphy was soundly November 8. Aguirre both went to Wisconsin feel- ordering him to recognize and defeated by anti-union incumbent ing hopeful because polls showed pro- negotiate a contract. He also exploited Fighting the good fight Marco Rubio, who won by almost 8% union candidate Russ Feingold was immigrant workers on his construction Despite these challenges, ILWU and 700,000 votes. “It was amazing to expected to win his race against anti- jobs, sent jobs overseas for his clothing members went into battle against anti- meet all the immigrants from so many union incumbent Senator Ron John- line, and told workers here in the U.S. union politicians and came away with different countries, and most of them son. When it was over, Johnson, who to cut pay and benefits if they want jobs their heads held high. were supportive,” said Todd Weeks. defeated Feingold six years earlier, was – while promising bigger tax breaks for “It was a good experience and I would Florida is a long way from Alaska able to keep his seat, winning by 3 per- corporations and the super-rich.” definitely do it again.” “I’m an Alaska native from the cent and almost 100,000 votes. “After Turning workers against each other Tlingit nation, so travelling to Flor- Getting out the vote in Ohio our visit, we could see there was lots Trump wasn’t the first anti-union ida was a long way from home and it Ohio team leader Erik Ferrel’s of work ahead if we want to win back candidate to win working class votes was so much hotter there,” said James group included Mark Sailor from Local working class voters in Wisconsin, and in Wisconsin, Michigan and Ohio. “Andy” Jackson. “We knocked on 5 and Victor Pamiroyan from Local 6. now after the election results are in, All three states were once full of doors and talked with people about He said their group was warmly greeted it’s even more true,” said Bloomquist. union members, and politicians were voting. I didn’t realize we’d be doing by other union members when they Pushing hard in Pennsylvania dependably pro-union until factories that when I signed up, but it was fun arrived at the North Shore AFL-CIO “After we were welcomed into the started closing and moving overseas in and worthwhile.” Pensioner W.C. “Pee office in Cleveland. “They were excited union campaign headquarters in Phil- the 1970’s. The families who remained Wee” Smith was also from Ketchikan, to see us and said they had missed adelphia by a big group of our union after losing their jobs and benefits Alaska, and had a twisted ankle, so our help during the past few years,” brothers and sisters, we got right into became fertile ground for anti-union he navigated and drove Local 19 team he said. “We spent our days knocking the door-to-door fight in the neighbor- politicians who constantly blamed leader Todd Weeks and Andy Jack- on doors and getting commitments to hoods,” said team leader Dane Freder- unions for “driving away jobs” while son to each house on their route.