ILWU one-day anti-war strike Mayday?

It's not as impressive if you know the background. the ILWU gets to shut down the Ports once a month for anything they want, trainings, protests, etc. It's not coordinated with other folks, so it's highly unlikely to foment wider industrial activity.

Can you explain how they 'get to shut down the Ports once a month for anything they want', please fnbrill? I don't really understand.
Devrim

I know the ILWU have had a fair few political strikes, like one in support of Mumia, for example.

Devrim-

David is mostly correct about the "stop work meetings". the meetings are training days held once a month (I'm pretty sure it's once a month, I'll call some of my docker friends today and confirm) which go over union issues, safety training, or educational work. The national board sets the theme of the educational work, so it could be "Lashing" one month, "Defend Mumia Abu-Jamaal" the next.

So the "work stoppage" is a regularly set training day the employeers expect and plan around. The "issue" may or may-not be supported by the rank and file. In fact the Mumia training day was very unpopular if the negitive letters in the "Dispatcher" are any indication.

There's some support for the Sparts and their off-spring the internationalist Group (the authors of the indymedia article) line in the Bay area. My guess is they have some folks sitting on Local Boards who pushed for this. That's how the Mumia day came about.

Again, I'll come some of the former IWWs dockworkers and get the facts. It's still early here and I have a strike meeting this AM, expect something in 4-5 hours.

I talked to a friend who's an A-Card (full member) in the ILWU and very active in his local. He hadn't heard about this decision but speculated that since it takes place on a thursday, it would be one of the once a month educational meetings.

Word.

On of the commie papers, socialist worker maybe, has a diatribe about it out. Local 10 wanted to declare a 24 hour strike, the fascist ilwu leadership watered it down, some reference to harry bridges selling out the vietcong, yadda yadda, its a training day.

just out of interest, former IWW members or former dock workers...?

Former IWW's, present ILWUs. We had a fairly good network built up of dual carders on the US west coast, NZ and Aus.

They're fortunate that May Day of this year is on a Thursday, otherwise they wouldn't be able have an educational meeting /training day and take the day off. Do they get paid for these educational/training days?

Sorry, I didn't explain more, the educational meetings always take place on Thursdays.

Hell yes.

I was at the caucus when the vote was taken. Generally the stop work meetings happen on the evening shift, so technically having a "stop work" meeting during the day is pushing the limits of the contract.

Many people who usually oppose politically motivated resolutions like this spoke in favor of it. It was quite moving actually, to see centrist democratic, and even republican, unionists speak passionately about their own war experiences as reasons why we should oppose the war in Iraq. I don't know who the "internationalist group" is. But to say that this action was the brainchild of one person, or even that it was only grudgingly supported by the leadership is totally off base. The coast caucus is one of the highest bodies of the ILWU, and for this resolution to pass unanimously with the support of our President is a historic moment within the ILWU.

The fact that May Day takes place on a Thursday never came up during the discussion. The discussion was entirely centered around why we should oppose the war and place pressure, where pressure is due, right before the upcoming PMA contract negotiations and in the middle of the presidential elections. A work stoppage against the war in May sends a clear message on many levels and the coast caucus realized that...and voted in favor of the motion.

The vote in favor of this motion was honest, sincere and powerful because of the fact that it had broad support from both the rank and file and the leadership. The fact that some leftist front group from New York issued a statement before our union had a chance to frame our message is a little disconcerting. I' m tired of sectarians hijacking what obviously had broad support from within the rank and file of our union. And its frustrating to see our internal business peddled by outsiders around the internet before we even have a chance to develop our own message. Although, an old school ILWU organizer once told me, if your being co-opted and infiltrated, even though they are often annoying, you know your doing something right

But I think that, if done right, this work stoppage could be a very important moment in the history of the ILWU and labor's resistance to the war in Iraq.

...

I've seen stop work meetings happen on days other than Thursday.

I'm happy to be wrong.

How often are your wrong fnbrill?

Only when I respond to you

For the record, I don't think anyone here "broke silence". A Trot group (presumably the aforementioned "leftist front group from New York") had already done so. Once having heard about it, working class militants can only be expected to be interested in more (and more reliable) information. Hats off to the ILWU.

Yea, I wouldn't say that anyone on libcom broke the story. This group from New York did a fine job of that Its just funny how the other day I was discussing strategy on how to build support for the action and how it will have to be done carefully. Then the next day it was all over the internet. Thats cool though, I don't have nothing against the trots...some of my best fri....

I also need to get a new "handle" for this site (or stop posting all together). A bunch of people I work with saw my above post and knew instantly that it was me

How can we help the ILWU coordinate other folks and organizations to create wider regional, national, and international peace activities on May Day?

gurley, just ask and an admin can change your username - just post a request in the feedback forum

For your info. --syndicalist

US West Coast Dockers: 1st May Workers Action to Stop the War
ILWU
26 Feb 08

ILWU letter to AFL-CIO Pres. John J. Sweeney

español
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??????? (Word)

M/S/C as amended

FOR WORKERS' ACTION TO STOP THE WAR

WHEREAS: On May 1, 2003, at the ILWU Convention in San Francisco resolutions were passed calling for an end to the war and occupation in Iraq; and

WHEREAS: ILWU took the lead among labor unions in opposing this bloody war and occupation for imperial domination; and

WHEREAS: Many unions and the overwhelming majority of the American people now oppose this bipartisan and unjustifiable war in Iraq and Afghanistan but the two major political parties, Democrats and Republicans continue to fund the war; and

WHEREAS: Millions worldwide have marched and demonstrated against the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan but have been unable to stop the wars; and

WHEREAS: ILWU's historic dock actions,

1) like the refusal of Local 10 longshoremen to load bombs for the military dictatorship in Chile in 1978 and military cargo to the Salvadoran military dictatorship in 1981 and

2) the honoring of the teachers' union antiwar picket May 19, 2007 against SSA in the port of Oakland stand as a limited but shining example of how to oppose these wars; and

WHEREAS: The spread of war in the Middle East is threatened with U. S. air strikes in Iran or possible military intervention in Syria or the destabilized Pakistan;

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED:

That it is time to take labor's protest to a more powerful level of struggle by calling on unions and working people in the U. S. and internationally to mobilize for a "No Peace No Work Holiday" May 1, 2008 for 8 hours to demand an immediate end to the war and occupation in Iraq and Afghanistan and the withdrawal of U. S. troops from the Middle East; and

FURTHER BE IT RESOLVED:

That a clarion call from the ILWU be sent with an urgent appeal for unity of action to the AFL-CIO, the Change to Win Coalition and all of the international labor organizations to which we are affiliated to bring an end to this bloody war once and for all.

Submitted by:

ILWU Local 10

passed overwhelmingly after thorough debate

If you need any further information or wish to send messages of support and solidarity please contact Bob McEllrath, International President, ILWU, 1188 Franklin Street, San Francisco, California 94109.

Tel: (+1 415) 775 0533 Fax: (+1 415) 775 1302. Email: robert.mcellrath@ilwu.org

Messages of support and solidarity should also be sent to ILWU Local 10 President Melvin Mackay
fax (+1 415) 441 0610 and/or melmackay@aol.com

Please send copies to dockers@gn.apc.org (sacked Liverpool dockers)

Hi Gurley...... on the internal stuff, I can't speak directly to it as it relates to this particular action. I am on the ILWU talk list where some of this stuff has already been posted. In fact, the above letter to Sweeny was posted there. So some of this stuff is sort of in the open already.

BTW, I didn't place the stop-work also in the context on the contract negotitations.

ditto

This is being discussed pretty heavily over at the social news site reddit here and here if anyone wants to mosey on over and help steer the discussion in the right direction.

There's been talk of a general strike among some of the commenters. A bit over-ambitious perhaps, but they seem receptive to ideas for supportive actions if we can give them any.