July 5th is Bloody Thursday

Emotional Ceremony Will Honor Fallen Port Workers

Workers from across the greater Portland area will gather in Oaks Park on Thursday, July 5th, to honor heroes who have fallen on the job while “fighting for truth, justice, and the American Way.” The group will toss a large colorful wreath of flowers into the Willamette River to mark the occasion.

“Our entire community owes a debt to these men and women who made it possible for all of us to live better lives today,” said Bill Wyatt, Executive Director of the Port of Portland. Wyatt will attend the July 5th event, along with Tom Chamberlain, President of the Oregon State AFL-CIO.

The annual ceremony dates back to 1934, when six waterfront workers were killed and hundreds were seriously injured on the west coast while trying to establish a labor union, which became today’s International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU), with hundreds of members who work in the Portland area.

The ceremony will also honor two waterfront workers who were killed in the past year while working on the job: Joe Aliseo, 42, who died April 19th while working on the Seattle waterfront, and Piper Cameron, 26, who was killed while she worked as a deckhand on a tug boat in Southern California.

Each year, waterfront workers gather to throw a wreath in the water to honor their fallen heroes. This year’s ceremony will take place at 11am. A community picnic will follow the ceremony, with speeches by local officials at 1pm.

Seaport Celebration Coming Up

Last year Locals 8, 40 and 92 participated in an open house at Terminal 6 (see: Seaport Celebration Photos). This year we will again be co-hosting an event for the public to see what goes on at Portland's largest marine terminal. There will be special children's activities, demonstrations of equipment by longshore workers, tours of the dock, including views of the large container cranes, music and food. Please call the number above if you would like to attend.

Oregon State Fair, August 24 - September 3, 2007.

The AFL has a booth for the entire week at the fair and some unions have adopted a day to staff the booth. Local 8 and 40 will be there August 24th. Sign up's are for 2 hour blocks starting at 10am till 11pm. Volunteers please call the secretary.

Link to the Fair website: http://www.oregonstatefair.org/fair/index.htm

***