ILWU and Occupy Oakland's call for a one-day shutdown of West Coast ports today (Corrected)

I have to agree with Laura Clawson about this one: Occupy Oakland attempting port shutdown despite union opposition Daily Kos 12/12/2011.

The Occupy Oakland group is pushing for a one-day strike at all West Coast ports on Tuesday today, December 12, even though the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) opposes it. The key to their remarkable success in the one-day general strike call in November was the participation of ILWU members by walking off work at the port. Technically, it was a wildcat action because it was not formally called by the ILWU. But Clawson is undoubtedly right in saying that the ILWU "tacitly supported" the November action.

If the organizers of this action don't have some very firm agreement, formal or otherwise, with the ILWU to do a strike, it's very unlikely to work. Not a smart move, from what I can see. We'll see what happens tomorrow today.

ILWU president President Robert McEllrath addressed the strike call in a 12/06/2011 letter: Message from Pres. McEllrath: We share Occupy’s concerns about America, but EGT battle is complicated:

The fact is that the story of corporate greed and its impact on the working class is the story of the 99%, and, of course, this reality connects us all. ...

Most recently, groups directly connected to the Occupy movement and other loosely affiliated social media groups have called for the shutdown of certain terminals and the West Coast ports. At the same time, these groups seek to link these shutdowns to the ILWU’s labor dispute with employer EGT. None of this is sanctioned by the membership of the ILWU or informed by the local and International leadership. Simply put, there has been no communication with the leadership and no vote within the ILWU ranks on EGT associated Occupy actions.

Further, since our November 22, 2011 press release clarifying our position regarding third-party protests to occupy West Coast ports on December 12, 2011, we have been the subject of much criticism from individuals affiliated with the Occupy movement. This is shortsighted and only serves the 1%. We ask only that our internal process be respected and that whatever transpires not be in our name as we have not taken part in the call for that action.

Reading between the lines of McEllrath's statement, he may be concerned that some well-organized left-wing sect is using the Occupy movement as a cover to get political influence in the ILWU. I'm just guessing there. But small, sectarian leftwing groups operate that way. Typically, if they do get control of a successful independent activist group of some kind, they effectively destroy it but use its reputation for a while to recruit members into their main organization. And a genuine mass movement like Occupy attracts such groups like flies to honey.

Tags: ilwu, occupy movement

West Coast dock workers protest Iraq War

The International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) staged a May Day protest on Thursday against the Iraq War on the West Coast. "West Coast cargo traffic came to a halt Thursday as port workers staged daylong anti-war protests, terminal operators said." (West Coast ports idle due to anti-war protests Oakland Tribune Online 05/01/08)



An arbitrator had ruled against the strike action. But the ILWU went through with it anyway:

In a statement Thursday, the International Longshore & Warehouse Union defended its members' right to take off work to protest the U.S. war in Iraq.

"Big foreign corporations that control global shipping aren't loyal or accountable to any country," said Bob McEllrath, the ILWU's international president. "But longshore workers are different. We're loyal to America, and we won't stand by while our country, our troops, and our economy are destroyed by a war."

See also: Dockers shut West Coast ports in brief protest by George Raine San Francisco Chronicle 05/02/08:

At least 6,000 workers represented by San Francisco's International Longshore and Warehouse Union did not report for work for the day shift, effectively shutting down 29 West Coast ports. Their president, Bob McEllrath, issued a statement that read, "We're supporting the troops and telling politicians in Washington that it's time to end the war in Iraq."

A day earlier, an independent arbitrator sided with waterfront terminal operators and other employers who suspected a job action was in the works, and ruled that halting work would be a contract violation.

The ILWU was not dissuaded.

"It's important that these processes are in place and we respect them," ILWU spokesman Craig Merrilees said of the ruling by arbitrator John Kagel. "We also have an obligation and are proud to respect the First Amendment rights our members have as citizens governed by the Constitution. This is a voluntary act of good citizenship to shake the tree in Washington, D.C., and get those folks to wake up and respect the overwhelming majority of Americans," who want to end the war, Merrilees said. (my emphasis)

On May Day, many marchers for many causes by Tyche Hendricks, Carolyn Jones, Charles Burress San Francisco Chronicle 05/02/08:

Dockworkers with the International Longshore and Warehouse Union walked off the job at ports up and down the West Coast, including Oakland and San Francisco, calling for an end to the war. Union officials estimated the number of workers at 25,000 while maritime officials placed the number closer to 10,000.

Operations in Oakland and other West Coast ports ground to a halt Thursday after ILWU workers stayed off the job, said Steve Getzug, spokesman for the Pacific Maritime Association, which represents companies that move cargo through the ports.

"There is no activity," he said. "The ILWU struck West Coast ports and brought cargo operations to a virtual standstill."

In San Francisco, marchers were urged on by a spirited brass band and led by the ILWU drill team, wearing taps on their shoes and carrying grappling hooks in their hands. At Justin Herman Plaza, Clarence Thomas, an ILWU spokesman, praised the protesters for walking off the job and called on others to join them.

"Could you imagine if this were being duplicated in more places in all the major sectors of the economy?" he said. "It would send a message that we want this war to end. It's killing our children and diverting resources from domestic needs."

There's a video from the Portland Oregonian that I couldn't get the embed to work but here's the link: May Day: Longshoremen gather to protest war 05/01/08.

Dockworkers take May Day off, idling all West Coast ports by Louis Sahagun and Ronald White Los Angeles Times 05/02/08:

The stand-down at ports including Los Angeles and Long Beach -- which combined handle 40% of the imported goods arriving in the United States each year -- idled ships and cranes, stranded thousands of big rigs and halted movement of about 10,000 containers during the eight-hour day shift.

Tags: ilwu, iraq war