Site Map Icon
RSS Feed icon
 
 
 
April 25, 2024
Industry News
Aug 20, 2009

 

 

California Port Labor Dispute Settled
From The Journal of Commerce Online, August 18, 2009

The Pacific Maritime Association, which represents employers, met the past two days with ILWU Locals 13, 63 and 94 representing longshoremen, clerks and foremen to discuss the union’s charge that superintendents representing employers were distributing work assignments directly to longshoremen. ... PMA representatives told the union that company superintendents had no intention of circumventing union foremen, nor were they attempting to do the work of foremen.

http://www.joc.com/node/412966 click link to read entire aricle.

ILWU
Jul 29, 2009

 

Helping democracy in Honduras:
ILWU President speaks out against miltary coup
(Click on the link to download Pres. McEllrath's letter)

Click on the image to download the letter

When the Honduran military overthrew democratically elected President Manuel Zelayas of Honduras on June 28th, they also attacked trade unions and human rights groups. Honduran union have been mobilizing to protest the coup; some members have been arrested by the military. 

The military directly controlled Honduras from 1963 until 1981. The country's poverty rate is 50%, with an official unemployment rate of 28%.

The main port is Puerto Cortez on the Caribbean, one of six ports around the world to get U.S. funding in 2006 under the "Container Security Initiative" that paid for container scanning devices which became operational in 2007.

 


Coast Committee Candidates
Jul 15, 2009

 

Coast Committee Candidates

 FOR CALIFORNIA:


 
 Ray Ortiz, Jr. John Kavanaugh 
Ray Ortiz, Jr
Incumbent Coast Committeeman
ILWU Local 13

John Kavanaugh
ILWU Local 29

   
 FOR THE NORTHWEST:

 
 Leal Sundet  
 Leal Sundet
Incumbent Coast Committeeman
ILWU Local 8

 

 

75th Anniversary of Bloody Thursday

Police shot and killed longshore workers in 1934.On July 5, 1934, police shot at waterfront workers who were striking for better working conditions killing two and injuring 109. Tens of thousands of San Francisco workers marched in solidarity with the fallen workers, shutting the city down for several days and boosting the union movement for all American workers. On July 5, 2009, workers from Southern California to the Puget Sound marked the 75th anniversary of this important date by mourning the dead and celebrating 75 years of victories for workers.

BLOODY THURSDAY IN THE NEWS

The San Francisco Chronicle wrote:

More than 300 union workers and supporters, many wearing rugged Ben Davis shirts and white newsboy caps, marched slowly down San Francisco's waterfront Sunday morning on the 75th anniversary of Bloody Thursday, a critical moment for the West Coast labor movement.

The workers who came together to strike in 1934 "fought for a better way of life, for all of us," said Malaika Johnson, 39, a fourth-generation longshoreman from Oakland, who inherited her father's job upon his death 10 years ago. "We have to carry these names on with us."

Also marching was 62-year-old Laurie Olsen of Berkeley, who honored her father, Jack Olsen, a warehouseman who participated in the general strike. She teared up as she described her "young and idealistic" father. "It was a moment in time," Olsen said, "when working people got together and said, 'No more.' "

Read the full article at the San Francisco Chronicle.

KCBS said:

The fatal shootings of two workers that day was a turning point for the West Coast labor movement. Michael Villeggiante, a trustee for the Bay Area Longshoremen's Memorial Association, says things have come full circle for labor with the country facing similar economic challenges to what was occurring in 1934.

"It's not the workers in this country that have problems or are doing the wrong thing," He said. "It's the corporations, and maybe some of the CEOs need to take a cut in pay."

Read the article at KCBS or download and listen to the podcast.


Members in the news
Jul 17, 2009

Members running for public office: 

 

Jeff Davis, ILWU 21

Olympia Port Commissioner, Position 3

http://www.davisforport.org/

***

Max Vekich, ILWU 52

Seattle Port Commission

http://www.maxforourport.com/

labor donated

not an endorsement 


Marvin Ricks
Jun 12, 2009
 

SAVE THE DATE
May 29, 2009

 

The University of Washington Press is pleased

to announce the publication of 

SOLIDARITY STORIES

An Oral History of the ILWU

by Harvey Schwartz

The ILWU has been known from the start for its strong commitment to democracy, solidarity, and social justice. In this collection of firsthand narratives, union leaders and rank-and-file workers talk about their lives at work, on the picket line, and in the union.

“Solidarity Stories is right up there with the best of Terkel's books, an inspiring account in their own words of how the men and women working the Pacific Coast docks and beyond built a great union and won dignity and fair play on the job.”

—David Brody, University of California, Davis

For more information, please see

www.washington.edu/uwpress

 

Book Reading

Harvey Schwartz, ILWU Historian

June 15, 2009

6:30 pm

Laughing Horse Books

12 NE 10th
Portland, OR 97232
(503) 236-2893

 

 

 

*Please note the address has been corrected.


Dispatcher
May 12, 2009

The Dispatcher

May 2009 issue of The Dispatcher as an Adobe Acrobat file (PDF).


Download:
Dispatcher MAY 09 FINAL lo res Job#58364.pdf

May Day 2009
Apr 27, 2009

 

Place:  Meet at the South Park Blocks

PDX May Day: May 1st 2009

 

 

May Day 2009

Friday, May 1st, South Park Blocks, downtown Portland!

1:00 PM - Posters and Party!
4:00 PM - Rally (speakers and entertainment)!
5:00 PM - MARCH!

Help us get the word out!!!


TWIC
Feb 28, 2009

 

Compliance Date - February 28, 2009

 

 

Transportation Worker Identification Credential (TWIC™*)

Welcome to the TWIC™ Deployment Website


Latest News: Help Desk Update: (02/06/2009): If you would prefer to email the TWIC Help Desk regarding any questions about the TWIC program or your TWIC card status, after checking online, you can now email the Help Desk directly at, TWIC.Helpdesk@gcrm.com. Please include your full name that was used at enrollment, date of birth, and application ID to allow for timely processing of your request.
TWIC Logo

Welcome to the Transportation Worker Identification Credential (TWIC™) home page! Here, you’ll find a variety of resources to help you quickly and easily:

  • Understand what a TWIC is and how you can get one
  • Pre-enroll for your TWIC and schedule a time for your in-person visit to a convenient enrollment center
  • Locate the address and hours of operation for an enrollment center near you
  • Schedule an appointment to pick up and activate your TWIC
  • Know when the Coast Guard has declared compliance for your port
  • Obtain answers to your frequently asked questions

 

* The use of the TWIC™ name in connection with this website is with the express permission of the Department of Homeland Security, Transportation Security Administration.
Operated by Lockheed Martin Corporation for the Transportation Security Administration

Dispatcher
Feb 27, 2009
The Dispatcher
February 2009

Download:
Dispatcher FEB 09 low resolution.pdf

Morning Lisa
Feb 24, 2009

 

Largest ship of its kind arrives in Portland (click to watch video) 

The Morning Lisa, a massive sea-going car transporter, is about nine stories tall and longer than two football fields. It can haul more than 8,000 cars at one time. Monday’s delivery to the Port of Portland included about 1,200 Hyundai automobiles from Korea.

 

Port of Portland press release
Pictures of the Morning Lisa by Josh Thomas


TWIC
Dec 31, 2008

TWIC Compliance Date is February 28, 2008

  

  • What is the process for obtaining a TWIC?
• Applicants can save time by pre-enrolling online or via phone (optional)

• During pre-enrollment, applicants will:

- Enter biographic information required for the security threat assessment

- Make an appointment at the enrollment center

• Pre-enrollment is available by
clicking here
• Applicants are required to bring identity documents to the enrollment center

•
Click here to access the latest listing of acceptable documents (to include those documents required to prove immigration status if not born in the U.S.).
• Applicants must visit an enrollment center where they will:

- Complete a
TWIC Disclosure and Certification Form

- Pay the enrollment fee

- Provide biographic information (if applicant did not pre-enroll) and a complete set of fingerprints

- Sit for a digital photograph
• Applicants will be notified by email or phone, as specified during enrollment, when their TWIC is available at the enrollment center

• Applicants must return to the center at which they enrolled to pick up their TWIC

• TWICs will be issued to workers 3 – 4 weeks after enrollment

• Applicants can check the status of their card and schedule a pick-up appointment by
clicking here


Weather Alert
Dec 24, 2008
 

WEATHER ALERT:

Travel: PDX FLIGHTS | TRAFFIC | ROADS | PASS CAMS
ODOT traffic cams -- Watch LIVE

 
Department of Transportation: 

TriMet:

Port Update:

Dispatcher
Dec 18, 2008

 

The Dispatcher

 

January 2009 ILWU Dispatcher (PDF)
                                   January 2009 issue of the ILWU Dispatcher as an Adobe Acrobat file (PDF).


Buy Union
Dec 12, 2008

Need a gift idea?  How about a book!

http://www.ilwulocal5.com/

Powell's suffers from economic woes (click to watch video clip) 

 

Buy union this holiday season — and keep it local 
To help readers who want to buy union-made and union-delivered, the Labor Press has come up with 10 gift ideas for goods and services made or sold by local union workers.

 


Dispatcher
Dec 04, 2008

The Dispatcher

December 2008 ILWU Dispatcher (PDF)
Complete issue of the December 2008 ILWU Dispatcher as an Adobe Acrobat file (PDF).


Dispatcher
Nov 10, 2008
 
The Dispatcher

November 2008 Dispatcher (PDF)
Complete issue of the the November 2008 Dispatcher as an Adobe Acrobat file (PDF)


2008 ILWU Endorsed Candidates
Oct 19, 2008

Vote for working families on Nov. 4th!
ILWU International President Robert McEllrath and Presidential candidate United States Senator Barack Obama.

The ILWU International Executive Board has endorsed United States Senator Barack Obama for President after comparing the records of all presidential candidates and concluding that he had the best record on issues that matter most to working families.

In addition, the ILWU District Councils of Southern California, Northern California, Columbia River and Puget Sound have each issued local endorsements for the November 4th elections. 

You may download a copy of your district council's endorsements here, print it out and take a copy to the polls with you:

Oregon District Council 2008 election endorsements - click link below

http://www.ilwu.org/upload/OregonSlateCard.pdf 

Puget Sound District Council 2008 election endorsements - click link below

http://www.ilwu.org/upload/PugetSoundSlateCard.pdf

 

 

 

 


Dispatcher
Oct 17, 2008

 

The Dispatcher 

The election edition

October 2008 ILWU Dispatcher (PDF)
Complete issue of the October 2008 Dispatcher as an Adobe Acrobat file (PDF).

 


Election
Oct 12, 2008

 

A message from Local 8 President Jeff Smith:

Brothers and Sisters,

Please share this video as widely as possible with fellow Longshore workers in all Oregon ILWU locals. We need our members to hear the truth before they make a decision in the U.S. Senate race!

 Sen. Gordon Smith used our name in a debate, which falsely gave people that he had our support. NOT TRUE! Smith does not support the Employee Free Choice Act and other important needs of working families. See what these Local 8 workers have to say about Smith, and their REAL endorsed candidate -- Speaker Jeff Merkley.

 http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-8571473446800477681&hl=en

Jeff Merkley has been a great friend of working families. Thanks to him, longshore workers will be qualify for unemployment insurance benefits if our employer locks us out again like they did in 2002. Plus, Jeff Merkley is right on all the issues -- health care, fair taxes for working families, ending the war in Iraq, and protecting Americans' union rights.

Remember to share this video with fellow longshore workers, so they have accurate information before they vote.

Whichever candidates you choose, please be sure to have your friends and families vote. You can find voting information at www.oregonvotes.org, or talk to your local union officers.

 

In solidarity,

Jeff Smith

President, ILWU Local 8

President, Oregon Area District Council

Portland, Oregon 


Contract 2008
Oct 06, 2008

Contract 2008 button - wide

 

 Ratification of the 2002 PCL&CA Amendments
(October 2, 2008) Please be advised that the Coast Balloting Committee, selected by the Longshore Division Caucus, has certified that the Amendments to the 2002 PCL&CA have been by a 75% majority of those voting.

Obama's and Kennedy's Letters of Support for Blue Diamond Workers in Sacramento
(Sept. 26, 2008) Presidential candidate Senator Barack Obama and Senator Edward Kennedy have each issued letters in support of workers at the Blue Diamond almond processing facility in Sacramento, as they seek to unionize.

 Obama and Kennedy announce their support for Blue Diamond workers
Presidential candidate Barack Obama and U.S. Senator Ted Kennedy are lending their support to hundreds of workers at Sacramento’s Blue Diamond almond plant who are seeking a union and scheduling an election to improve conditions at the world’s largest almond processor. Workers will hold a press conference in front of the Blue Diamond Growers plant this Friday, September 26th at 11 am, on the corner of 17th and “C” Streets in Sacramento.

THE DISPATCHER 

 September 2008 ILWU Dispatcher (PDF)
The complete issue of the September 2008 Dispatcher as an Adobe Acrobat file (PDF).

It’s Unanimous: Caucus Approves Contract Proposal for Membership Review and Vote

Delegates to the ILWU CaucusAfter four days of questions, discussion and debate, Longshore Caucus delegates voted unanimously on Thursday, August 21 to send the proposed contract to the membership for their review and vote. The vote by Caucus delegates who convened in San Francisco on August 18th was 153 “yes” and 0 voting “no.”

“We went though the proposed contract line by line,” said Greg Mitre of Local 13. “Everyone asked questions about how the new contract would work, how it would impact members, and how the Committee came to the agreement. Now it’s up to the members to read it for themselves, ask questions, get answers, and decide whether to ratify it.”

“The delegates covered every aspect of the contract — including health care, safety, jurisdiction, pensions, working conditions and wages — with nearly every delegate weighing in at the podium,” said Local 19 delegate Dan McKisson. “Our Caucus Chair, JoJo Cortez, made sure that everyone who wanted to had a chance to be heard.”

Copies of the proposed agreement will be available at every dispatch hall, with additional copies being mailed to the homes of every member. The proposed agreement is also posted online.

Local unions will hold membership meetings to discuss the proposed agreement in late august and early September, with voting at locals that will follow and conclude by mid-September. Results of the ratification vote will be available by the end of September, and will be faxed to each local and posted online.

 

The ILWU Coast Negotiating Committee

The 2008 Coast Negotiating Committee reached terms of understanding on an MOU the week of August 11, 2008. 

The ILWU Coast Negotiating Committee reached final terms on a Memorandum of Understanding for a new contract on August 28, 2008.  The MOU is being reviewed by Coast Caucus delegates the week of August 18-22, and will be sent to the memership for review and a vote if approved by the Caucus. 

Members of the ILWU Longshore Negotiating Committee are pictured here, along with members of the Coast Safety Committee, ILWU staff, and attorneys. (L-R), BACK ROW: Marc Cuevas, President Local 54, Small Ports Rep., Calif. Reg.; Greg Mitre, Alternate Rep., Local 13; William Adams, ILWU International Secretary-Treasurer; Trent Willis, Business Agent Local 10, N. Calif. Reg. Rep.; THIRD ROW FROM FRONT: John Philbrook, President Local 21, Small Ports Rep., Ore./Col. River Reg.; Cameron Williams, Local 19, Wash./P.S. Reg. Rep.;  Fred Gillam, President Local 91, Foremen/Walking Bosses Rep.; Herald Ugles, President Local 19; Frank North, Alternate Rep, Local 94; Ralph Rucker, Pensioners Rep. Northern Calif. Reg.; Rudy Alba, Local 94, Foremen/Walking Bosses Rep.; Paul Wieser, President Local 98, Foremen/Walking Bosses Rep.; Tracy Burchett, Local 53, Small Ports Rep.; SECOND ROW FROM FRONT: Adrian Diaz, Dispatcher Local 63, Marine Clerks Rep.; Duane Johnson, Sec.-Treas. Local 51, Small Ports Rep., Wash./PS Reg.; Jeff Smith, President Local 8, Ore/Col. River Reg. Rep.; Joe Cortez, Local 13, S. Calif. Reg. Rep.; Danny Miranda, President Local 94, Foremen/Walking Bosses Rep.; Pete Favazza, Local 13, M&R Rep.; Tim Podue, Executive Board, Local 13, S. Calif. Reg. Rep.; John Castanho, Benefits Specialist, Coast Committee, Longshore Division; Attorneys Robert Remar and Peter Saltzman, FRONT ROW: Kirsten Donovan, Director of Contract Administration and Arbitration; Leal Sundet, Coast Committeeman ; International Vice President Joe Radisich; International President Bob McEllrath, Coast Committeeman Ray Ortiz, Jr., Richard Cavalli, President Local 34, Marine Clerks Rep., Tony DePaul, Local 23, Wash/P.S., Reg. Rep., Jim Daw, Local 8 Ore./Col. River Reg. Rep., Melvin Mackay, President Local 10, N. Calif. Reg. Rep. (
CLICK ON THE IMAGE FOR A LARGER VERSION).

For more info., see
www.contract2008.org. Photo by Craig Merrilees.

 

 

Employee Free Choice Act

The Employee Free Choice Act (H.R. 800, S. 1041), supported by a bipartisan coalition in Congress, would enable working people to bargain for better wages, benefits and working conditions by restoring workers’ freedom to choose for themselves whether to join a union. It would:

  • Establish stronger penalties for violation of employee rights when workers seek to form a union and during first-contract negotiations.
  • Provide mediation and arbitration for first-contract disputes.
  • Allow employees to form unions by signing cards authorizing union representation.  

To learn more about the Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA) click link below.

http://www.aflcio.org/joinaunion/voiceatwork/efca/

 

Unionfacts.com....you've seen the commercials, now read who's behind these lies.

http://www.americanrightsatwork.org/

Learn more about EFCA

Add your signature to more than 300K so far!

 

THE DISPATCHER 

July-August 2008 Dispatcher (PDF)
Complete July-August 2008 Dispatcher as an Adobe Acrobat file (PDF).

 

ILWU Bargaining Bulletin #7: ILWU Negotiating Team Reaches Preliminary LongshoreContract

(click link to read latest bulletin)

 

 

ILWU-PMA Joint Statement on Tentative Agreement


San Francisco (July 28, 2008) – After a marathon weekend bargaining session, leaders from the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) and the Pacific Maritime Association (PMA) announced a preliminary agreement on terms for a new six year contract covering more than 25,000 dockworkers at 29 West Coast ports. The leaders shook hands in San Francisco over the proposed agreement on Monday.

 


Seaport Celebration--Explore the Treasures of Your Port
Join us for a fun-filled day at the Port of Portland's fourth annual Seaport Celebration! Experience fun activities for all ages - face painting, games, prizes, equipment demonstrations by the International Longshore and Warehouse Union, and tours of the dock with views of the large container cranes. Unlock the mystery of how many of the things you depend on every day are delivered through the Port of Portland's marine terminals. The Captain Bogg & Salty pirate band will perform at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. and the ILWU will grill food while supplies last.

Saturday, August 16
10:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.

Terminal 6
7201 N. Marine Drive
Portland, OR 97203

Please RSVP Today!


RSVP here. Directions to Seaport Celebration

Photo ID required for all adults

Note: RSVP is not required but appreciated in order to
get an accurate count for event planning purposes.

Please contact Brooke Berglund if you have any questions at 503.944.7532.


Port of Portland . PO Box 3529 . Portland, OR 97208 .

Contract 2008
Jul 13, 2008

 
(SAN FRANCISCO) – West Coast dockworkers will continue loading and unloading cargo to keep ports operating while their union Negotiating Committee continues to meet with company officials on a new longshore and clerks agreement.

 

   Benefit Golf Tournament

In Honor of Greg Phillips' 50th

Gresham Golf Course on August 14, 2008

$100 entry fee, includes dinner

Contact:  Jacqueline Phillips at 503-519-7795


ILWU President Chosen for International Position
ILWU's Familathe and Adams accept ITF title for Pres. McEllrath.

The Dockers Section of the International Transport Workers Federation (ITF) represents over 400,000 dockworkers in 190 unions from 100 countries. The group gathered in Stockholm, Sweden on June 16-19, 2008 to coordinate strategy and solidarity efforts, share information, and elect new leadership for the coming years.  

ILWU International President Bob McEllrath was nominated to serve as  2nd Vice Chair of the ITF Dockers Section by President Richard Hughes of the International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA). More than 100 delegates voted unanimously to approve McEllrath who was unable to attend due to the Longshore Contract negotiations in San Francisco, but ILWU Secretary Treasurer Willie Adams was on hand to accept the nomination and thank delegates who also passed a resolution pledging their full support and solidarity for the ILWU’s Longshore Contract negotiations. Also attending from the ILWU were Ray Familathe, International Relations Coordinator, and Mark Jurisic of Local #13. 

“I’m pleased for the chance to represent dockers in this new position that will help us build solidarity and support workers around the world,” said McEllrath from San Francisco.


Contract 2008
Jul 02, 2008

 

TWIC is Coming!

TWIC Enrollment at the Port of Vancouver and Port of Longview

 

Vancouver enrollment center click the link below

http://twicinformation.tsa.dhs.gov/twicinfo/portinfo.jsp?id=1309

 

Longview/Kelso enrollment center click the link below

http://twicinformation.tsa.dhs.gov/twicinfo/portinfo.jsp?id=1305

**

ILWU calls for cleaner ports in new TV ad

The International Longshore and Warehouse Union is running a new commercial in the Los Angeles area to inform viewers about the union's efforts to promote cleaner ports.

The new ad features several Southern California longshore workers who explain that the union is working to make West Coast ports cleaner and safer for workers and residents.

The ad is another part of the union's "Saving Lives" campaign, that encourages companies doing business at the ports to reduce vessel and vehicle emissions 20 per cent by 2010.  ILWU members work with elected officials, public health advocates, regulatory agencies and community groups to promote cleaner air for everyone. 


(view all of the ILWU commericals posted under the ILWU History tab)

 

 


Join the
Million Member Mobilization

We're teaming up with hundreds of organizations 
and unions to launch a
massive campaign-
the Million Member Mobilization.

Add your name to the petition and add your voice to this growing movement.  Help us meet our goal of one million signatures!


Click here

 


ILWU Drill Team
Jun 18, 2008

 

Drill Team wins in Portland, to march in SF Juneteenth Celebration
The ILWU Local 10 Drill Team garnered first place in the Non-Commercial
division at the 101st Portland Rose Festival's Starlight Parade on June 1.  Congratulations to the men and women of Local 10!
 

The Drill Team will also be participating in San Francisco's Juneteenth 2008 Parade on Saturday, June 21.  Juneteenth commemorates the day on which Union troops arrived in Galveston, Texas and read aloud an order freeing all enslaved Americans on June 19, 1865 - more than two and a half years after Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation. 

ILWU 40
Jun 16, 2008
 

 

2008 COLUMBIA RIVER GOLF TOURNAMENT

Colwood National Golf Club

7313 NE Columbia Blvd. Portland OR

July 24, 2008

Shotgun Start 8:00

Pickup applications at ILWU Locals 40 and 8

Questions Call Golf Commissioner George O'Neil

503-380-0290

                                                                                        

*
THE DISPATCHER 
June 2008 Dispatcher (PDF)
Complete issue of the June 2008 Dispatcher as an Adobe Acrobat file (PDF).
*
*
Join the ILWU's efforts to end the War In Iraq!
Prompted by ILWU members' walkout on May 1 to protest the War in Iraq, Americans from all over the country are voicing their support for union members' efforts to end the War in Iraq. Learn more about how you can work with labor to bring our troops home now.
*
*
DHS Realigns TWIC Compliance Date
*
*

THE DISPATCHER  

May 2008 Dispatcher (PDF)
Complete May 2008 Dispatcher issue as an Adobe Acrobat file (PDF).
*
*

May Day 2008
May 29, 2008

MAY DAY 2008

 

  • Click link to listen to the ILWU May Day interview

http://www.kboo.fm/node/6975 

  • Click link to read a comment made by Representative Speier

http://frwebgate1.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/waisgate.cgi?WAISdocID=11394198364+0+0+0&WAISaction=retrieve

  • Click link to view video of Seattle May Day

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W9cu-4UXM-0

http://youtube.com/watch?v=Ahr5SH821GY  (this video is awesome!)

 

   

  • May Day Photo

Photos of the May Day actions in Portland, Seattle and Oakland are posted in the Photo Gallery.

 -----------

Longshore workers are standing down at West Coast ports
More than 25,000 longshore workers at 29 West Coast ports are exercising their First Amendment rights today by taking a day off work and calling for an end to the war in Iraq.

 

 


ILWU
Mar 27, 2008

 

logo bootprint

Longshore workers walk from 'Hollywood to the Docks,' April 15-17 to save good paying jobs in Los Angeles
On April 15th to the 17th, Southern California longshore workers will join actors, janitors, and many other workers along with members of the community will march 28 miles from Hollywood to the docks of San Pedro. These individuals will symbolize over 350,000 workers who, this year, will be fighting to stay in the middle class or move themselves out of poverty.


Organizing
Mar 17, 2008

 

Workers win tough fight at Rite Aid Warehouse
After a tough two-year battle, the workers at Rite Aid’s (NYSE: RAD) distribution center in Lancaster, CA won their fight to join International Longshore and Warehouse Union Local 26. They won by 283 to 261, with 18 challenged ballots; 629 people were eligible to vote.

 


ILWU Weekly Update
Mar 14, 2008

 

Longshore Industry News  (click link)

A new weekly update on what is happening in the maritime and

goods movement industries.


ILWU
Mar 10, 2008

 

ILWU Longshore Caucus calls for Iraq War Protest at Pacific Ports on May 1  (click this link for entire announcement)
Nearly one-hundred Longshore Caucus delegates voted on February 8 to support a resolution calling for an 8-hour “stop-work” meeting during the day-shift on Thursday, May 1 to protest the war by calling for the immediate safe return of U.S. troops from Iraq.

  


Dispatcher
Mar 04, 2008

THE DISPATCHER

NOW AVAILABLE ONLINE!

Read the current issue of The Dispatcher.

Click link the link below.    

March 2008 Dispatcher (PDF)
The March 2008 issue of the ILWU Dispatcher as an Adobe Acrobat file (PDF).


Endorsement
Mar 03, 2008

 

ILWU Endorses Senator Barack Obama for President

ILWU President Robert McEllrath and U.S. Presidential Candidate Senator Barack Obama met at the San Francisco Labor Council in Summer 2007.
ILWU President Robert McEllrath and Democratic Presidential Candidate U.S. Senator Barack Obama at the San Francisco Labor Council in Summer 2007 (D-Ill.). Photo by John Showalter.

 

The International Longshore and Warehouse Union endorsed Senator Barack Obama for President today, concluding he is “the best candidate for working families.”
International Executive Board members made the decision after meeting with different campaigns and examining their positions on key issues that will impact working families in the coming years, including:

  • Bringing our troops home safely from Iraq.
  • Re-thinking “free trade” agreements that have destroyed jobs.
  • Making quality, affordable health care available to all Americans.
  • Allowing workers to choose unions without employer intimidation.

“America’s working families are ready for a candidate with a fresh approach who will put people first and hold corporations more accountable,” said ILWU International President Bob McEllrath.  “Obama met with us, listened to our concerns, and we think he’ll do the best job on the issues that matter most to working families.”

 

A PDF of the full endorsement is available International Longshore & Warehouse Union (ILWU) endorses Barack Obama for President


Organizing
Feb 29, 2008


Join Rite Aid workers at SoCal pre-and post-election push & rally, March 8-9th & 13th

Join Rite Aid worker‐activists and ILWU staff to housecall voters in Lancaster, Calif., 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on March 8-9 in preparation of their vote to join Local 26 on March 12. On March 13, join Antelope Valley labor and community supporters to gather across from warehouse and greet day shift workers the day after the election. 

*** 

Click on the link below to read another article about the Rite Aid workers and their upcoming vote from the LA County Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO:

http://launionaflcio.org/news/08_02_28-Rite-Aid.php 

 


ILWU Dispatcher
Feb 17, 2008

 

THE DISPATCHER

NOW AVAILABLE ONLINE!

Read the current issue of The Dispatcher.

Click link the link below.    

February 2008 Dispatcher (PDF)
Complete issue of Feb. 2008 Dispatcher as an Adobe Acrobat file (PDF).

 

 


National Geographic Channel
Feb 12, 2008

National Geographic Channel Presents

AMERICA'S PORTS 

NEWSFOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

 WITH THE U.S. ECONOMY AND NATIONAL SECURITY AT STAKE EVERY DAY, NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC CHANNEL GOES INSIDE THE STAGGERING OPERATIONS OF AMERICA'S PORT

Bomb Scares, Missing Person Investigations and Bustling, Unpredictable Waters:  New Series from Producers of "Ice Road Truckers" and "Deadliest Catch" Enters the Port of Los Angeles, One of the Busiest and Most Important Entry Points in America

 (WASHINGTON, D.C. - February 7, 2008) Just 20 miles south of downtown Los Angeles is the Port of Los Angeles, the nation's largest container port and one of the most important trade gateways in the world.  It's a city within a city, brimming with a workforce of 16,000 and potential crises round the clock: longshoremen urgently offloading cargo, customs officials investigating suspicious containers, a port pilot circumnavigating frenzied and bustling, unpredictable waters, police divers searching for missing persons, a counterterrorism chief inspecting target points - and a tireless woman leading this crucial enterprise.

 On Sunday, April 6, 2008, at 10 p.m. ET/PT, before moving to its regular time of Mondays at 10 p.m. ET/PT, the National Geographic Channel (NGC) premieres America's Port, a new eight-part weekly series from the acclaimed producers of "Ice Road Truckers" and "Deadliest Catch" that delivers an insider's view of this massive complex and the intrepid individuals charged with keeping it running smoothly and securely 365 days a year.  It's a dynamic and dangerous 24/7 operation.  Close the Port of Los Angeles and the neighboring Port of Long Beach, and within days, the economy would take a punishing hit, because hundreds of tons of consumer goods pass through the ports each day.   

America's Port will provide an unblinking view of this vibrant and colorful nerve center for global trade.  Gain access to the high-tech control rooms that coordinate thousands of calculated ship movements each year.  Climb aboard a tanker with chief port pilot Michael Rubino, who stays calm while chaos erupts around him, and comb through cargo with U.S. Customs Port Director Todd Hoffman. Stay alongside the LA Port Police, one of the few police forces in the nation dedicated exclusively to 24/7 port activities, as they investigate a rape case, conduct bomb sweeps under wharfs or dive into the harbor in search of missing persons.  

At the epicenter of the port's whirlwind of activity is a dynamo executive director, Dr. Geraldine Knatz.  The first female in the port's storied 100-year history, Dr. Knatz is little known, but is arguably one of the nation's most important women in terms of protecting our economy and national security.  In addition to these hot-button responsibilities, Dr. Knatz is also credited with making environmentalism a top priority - pledging to curb the port's air pollution from trucks, ships, locomotives and other equipment by at least 45 percent in five years.

 "I think people will be amazed at the sheer magnitude of our operations," said Dr. Knatz, "and I'm certain they will embrace the individual character, dedication and pride of the people who work here, as they get a solid sense of the inherent danger, security measures and daily pressures of getting it right, every time."

 Currently in production, episodes of America's Port will take viewers behind the scenes of the port - from bomb squad deployment in a post-9/11 world, to capturing counterfeits and illicit drugs, to the massive "green growth" campaign focused on eliminating hundreds of tons of vessel, train and truck pollution.  And hear the personal stories and candid accounts from those in the heart of the operations who have seen and done it all.

 America's Port is being produced by Original Productions for the National Geographic Channel.  For Original Productions, executive producer is Thom Beers, producer is Molly Mayock.  For the National Geographic Channel, executive producer is Howard Swartz and senior vice president of special programming is Michael Cascio.  Executive vice president of content is Steve Burns.

                                                                                # # #

. For more information, please visit www.nationalgeographic.com/channel.

(Press Release courtesy of Port of Portland)

 


TWIC
Jan 16, 2008

TWIC is Coming!

TWIC Enrollment at the Port of Portland,

will Begin on January 17, 2008

7025 North Lombard Street, Portland OR

(driving directions and map from ILWU 40 to enrollment site, click link below)

Driving Directions

***


Download:
Twic enrollment.pdf

AFL-CIO Weekly Update
Jan 11, 2008

Sargent Bids Farewell to 'A-List' Officers and Staff

Today is the last day that Jennifer Sargent is our Director of Communications and Research here at the Oregon AFL-CIO. We are pleased that she will be staying in the family when she moves to a regional position with the International Longshore and Warehouse Union next week.

"It's hard to leave an organization like the Oregon AFL-CIO, especially at a time when it is leading and thriving on so many fronts," she told the Weekly Update. "The officers and staff here at the state fed are A-list across the board, and the many affiliate union leaders and members I've worked with over the years are some of the best people I know. But I'm not going far -- the ILWU is a great partner with the state fed, and I will still be active in supporting the folks I have known for years."

Sargent echoed these comments in an essay that was published today on BlueOregon, which you can read here. And stay tuned for news from the ILWU, as Sargent has promised to submit stories from the ILWU as they bargain for their contract this coming year.

Click to read Jennifer Sargent's essay on Blue Oregon http://www.blueoregon.com/2008/01/root-causes-of.html 

 

*This article is from the Oregon AFL CIO Weekly update. 

The Oregon AFL-CIO Weekly Update is posted in District Council / Labor Community section of this website.


TWIC Pre-enroll
Jan 11, 2008

TWIC

Transportation Worker Identification Credential 

The TSA schedule shows that Portland, OR will begin enrollment on January 17, 2008.

Click link to pre-enroll

https://twicprogram.tsa.dhs.gov/TWICWebApp/ 

Documentation required when enrolling for a TWIC

Applicants must provide the appropriate documents in order to verify their identity. They must provide one document from list A, or two from list B, one of which must be a government-issued photo ID:

List A:

  • Unexpired US passport
  • Unexpired Permanent Resident card or Unexpired Alien Registration Receipt Card with photograph
  • Unexpired foreign passport with one of the following: I-551 Stamp; Attached INS Form I-94 indicating unexpired employment authorization; Unexpired Employment Authorization Document (I-766); Unexpired Employment Authorization Card (INS-688B); OR with one of the following Unexpired Visas: E-1, E-2, E-3, H-1B, H-1B1, L-1, O-1, TN, M-1, C-1/D
  • Free and Secure Trade (FAST) Card
  • Merchant Mariner Document (MMD)

 

List B (need two and one must be a government-issued photo ID):

  • U.S. Certificate of Citizenship (N-560, 561)
  • U.S. Certificate of Naturalization (N-550 or 570)
  • Driver's license or ID card issued by a state or outlying possession of the United States
  • Original or certified copy of birth certificate issued by a state, county, municipal authority, or outlying possession of the United States bearing an official seal
  • Voter's registration card
  • Consular Report of Birth Abroad
  • U.S. Military ID or U.S. Retired Military ID
  • U.S. Military Dependent's Card
  • Expired U.S. passport
  • Native American Tribal Document
  • U.S. Social Security card
  • U.S. Citizen Card I-197
  • U.S. Military Discharge Papers DD-214
  • U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) medical card
  • Standards of Training Certification and Watch Keeping (STCW Certification)
  • Certificate of Registry (COR)
  • Merchant Mariner's License (MML)
  • Civil marriage certificate

Previous Equivalent Background Checks

In addition to the Citizenship/Identity document requirements, if an applicant has undergone an equivalent background check, they can provide the following documents to qualify for a discounted enrollment fee.

Type of Background Check
Requirement
Document
Commercial truck drivers with a Hazardous Materials Endorsement
Requires
Hazardous Materials Endorsement Document
Merchant Mariners
Requires
Merchant Mariners Document
CBP FAST Card Holders
Requires
CBP FAST Card Holders Document

ILWU Dispatcher
Dec 31, 2007

  

THE DISPATCHER

NOW AVAILABLE ONLINE!

Read the current issue of The Dispatcher.

Click link the link below.   

 

January 2008 Dispatcher (PDF)
Complete January 2008 Dispatcher as an Adobe Acrobat PDF.

 

 

 


Announcement
Dec 20, 2007

 

Please welcome Jennifer Sarget to the ILWU Communications Team!


I am pleased to announce that Jennifer Sargent will be joining the ILWU Communications team, beginning mid-January.  Jennifer will be working in the Northwest Region, with a special focus on helping locals involved with the longshore contract.  Jennifer has an impressive background and strong set of skills.  She grew up in a union family, speaks fluent Spanish, has worked on important political and legislative campaigns, and also worked as a daily newspaper reporter.  She's coming to us from the Oregon State AFL-CIO, where she was Communications and Research Director and got to know the ILWU.

 "During several years of working for the AFL-CIO, I gained a tremendous amount of respect for the ILWU and its members. I'm looking forward to joining the fight for a strong contract in 2008, safer docks and cleaner air for years to come." 

 We're making arrangements for Jennifer to visit as many officers, members and locals in the Northwest as possible in the coming months. 

 Please join me in welcoming Jennifer to our team! 

Craig Merrilees

Communications Director


Buy Union
Dec 17, 2007

Need gift ideas?

SHOP UNION!

All hope is not lost to buy union-made gifts. Below are a few ideas. But if you’ve got kids on your gift list, you may want to start with a lead test kit to help check for lead in Chinese toys. United Steelworkers is selling lead test kits for a penny each, plus $2.97 to ship. The kits contain two lead check swabs, a test verification sheet, reporting forms, manufacturer’s directions, information on recent recalls and a tip sheet about what you can do to help stop toxic imports. Buy online at steelworkersmerchandise.com or by calling 1-888 SAY-USWA.

  • Books, calendars, and cards at Portland-based Powells Books, one of the few union bookstores in the United States, where workers belong to the International Longshore and Warehouse Union Local 5.
  • Candies at See’s Candies, manufactured at two California locations by members the Bakery, Confectionery, Tobacco Workers and Grain Millers.
  • Tickets to the Oregon Symphony or Oregon Ballet Theater, where the musicians are members of American Federation of Musicians Local 99.
  • An Alaskan cruise on Norwegian Cruise Line, which has union crews made up of U.S. citizens.
  • Outdoor knives and multipurpose tools by Tigard-based Gerber Legendary Blades, where some workers belong to the Machinists Union.
  • Boots by Portland-based Danner Boot, represented by United Food and Commercial Workers Local 555.
  • Tillamook cheese, made by workers represented by the Teamsters and Operating Engineers Local 701. Buy it at Albertsons, Safeway, or Fred Meyer, where many stores employ members of UFCW Local 555.
  • Men’s shirts by New Orleans-based Kenneth Gordon, where workers belong to UNITE HERE; available online at www.kennethgordon.com.

 Lastly, be sure to mail your gifts via the all-union U.S. Postal Service or UPS — not anti-union FedEx, which is defending itself in multi-state lawsuits over its classification of drivers as “independent contractors.” 

*This article was written by the NW Labor Press Website.  http://www.nwlaborpress.org/index.html

A complete list of "BUY UNION" products as well as the "DO NOT PATRONIZE" list is posted in the District Council / Labor Community section under the main menu on the ILWU 40 website.


AFL-CIO Joins the ILWU with Endorsement
Dec 13, 2007

Oregon AFL-CIO Endorses Jeff Merkley for U.S. Senate

 PORTLAND—The Oregon AFL-CIO, the state’s largest federation of labor unions, today endorsed Oregon House Speaker Jeff Merkley in his bid for U.S. Senate. Although the results of the vote are not public, the AFL-CIO requires a two-thirds vote of its members unions for any endorsement.

“Jeff Merkley is a hero for all Oregonians who work to support their families,” Oregon AFL-CIO President Tom Chamberlain said. “He effectively fought to protect Oregon’s minimum wage, make our workplaces safer, and stop employers from abusing workers who want to join a union.”

The Oregon AFL-CIO represents more than 145,000 working men and women in Oregon. Oregon AFL-CIO members include steelworkers, teachers, electricians, nurses, truck drivers and others. They promote the interests of all working families – not just their members – in the workplace and the political arena.

“I’m thrilled to have the backing of the Oregon AFL-CIO,” Merkley said. “Working families are the backbone of the American economy. But in Gordon Smith’s and George Bush’s America, they aren’t getting a fair shake. They’ve seen their wages decline, their rights eroded, and their pensions destroyed. It’s time Congress stood up to do something about that, and that’s exactly what I’ll do as Senator.”

While their rights around the country are in decline, workers in Oregon in 2007 had a banner year in the state legislature, and Merkley’s leadership produced the most progressive session in the last 30 years. The legislature extended collective bargaining rights, strengthened workers’ right to organize, expanded unemployment laws for locked-out workers.

Outside of the workplace, working families also benefitted from Merkley’s leadership in the House. Merkley reigned in the predatory payday lending industry, helped lower the cost of medication by expanding the Oregon Prescription Drug Program, and passed the biggest increase in education funding in Oregon’s history.

The Oregon AFL-CIO’s backing is the latest in a string of labor endorsements for Merkley. The UFCW Local 555 was the first union to support Merkley, followed by the ILWU and Oregon AFSCME Council 75. Labor support is incredibly important to candidates like Merkley, who is running a progressive grassroots campaign against a very well-funded incumbent.

“Now that our members have made their voices heard, we put the full force of our voter education and mobilization program behind Jeff Merkley, starting today,” Chamberlain said. “We will work hard to spread the word to our 145,000 members, plus their family members, that Jeff Merkley is on their side.”

“We are building the largest grassroots network Oregon has ever seen,” Merkley said. “Thanks to the Oregon AFL-CIO and their 145,000 members, that effort continues to get stronger.”


ILWU Dispatcher
Dec 03, 2007

THE DISPATCHER

NOW AVAILABLE ONLINE!

Read the current issue of The Dispatcher.

Click link the link below.   

December 2007 Dispatcher (PDF)
Complete issue as an Adobe Acrobat PDF file.



ILWU Holiday Commercial
Nov 14, 2007

ILWU's Holiday Season TV Ad
 
November 14, 2007
 
Longshore workers help deliver your holiday gifts to Santa in this new TV commercial by the International Longshore and Warehouse Union. 
Season's Greetings!


 

 


ILWU Dispatcher
Nov 12, 2007


THE DISPATCHER

NOW AVAILABLE ONLINE!

Read the current issue of The Dispatcher.

Click link the link below.  

November 2007 Dispatcher (pdf)
November 2007 Dispatcher as a PDF Acrobat file.

 

 

 


Labor Festival
Nov 03, 2007


Location:

Portland State University (PSU). Here's a MAP of the wider area
and a campus map:
  • Smith Memorial Union Ballroom, 2 - 6pm
    1825 SW Broadway, Portland, OR 97201
  • Native American Center (Broadway and Jackson), 2pm -6 pm
  • Neuberger Hall, 3rd Floor, 2pm - 6pm
  • Opening Ceremony: Cramer Hall, Rm. 053,  1pm
More information about the location, parking, wheelchair accessbility, etc.
Date: Saturday, Nov. 10, 2007, 1pm - 9pm - Free!


Sponsored by the NW Oregon Labor Council, comprised of nearly 100 union locals with  approximately 50,000 union members; KBOO - 90.7 FM; Students United for Nonviolence (SUN); Pacific Islanders Club - and many other local and national labor and community groups including IWW; American Federation of Musicians;  Pacific NW Labor History Association; and others.

Visual Arts
Museum of People’s Art; Julie Leonardsson; ASARO (Oaxacan Assembly of Revolutionary Artists); Dan Shea; and others.

Music
Featuring Anne Feeney; Dick Weissman; Rebel Voices; Mic Crenshaw; Robert Johnson; George Mann; Citizens Band; Wobbly Chorus; the band General Strike;  and others.

Films
such as Matewan; Modern Times; Smoke Signals; A Union Man - The Life and work
of Julius Margolin.

History / Writers
Prof. David A. Horowitz (Working Class Culture); Michael Munk (The Portland Red Guide); presentations by Ooligan Press;
Doug Lain.

Video Activism
Jim Lockhart; David King

Stage
The AFTRA Radio Players: Stage reading of Studs Terkel’s “American Dreams”

Contact:

Jim Cook
503-703-1693
jmelvincook@gmail.com
Dan Shea
503-661-1317
laborartspdx@yahoo.com



Powell's Celebration
Oct 24, 2007

 

Come Celebrate:

Rally and 'Shop Union Day' at Powell's

 So many of our action items are aimed at employers who are behaving badly, that it's refreshing to get an invitation to celebrate with members of ILWU Local 5, the workers at Powell's Books!

 Last week we reported that Local 5 had reached a tentative agreement with Powell's in the most amicable negotiations since organizing at Powell's seven years ago. This week, Local 5, in anticipation of a ratification vote, is inviting everyone to a celebration rally and shop union event. Oregon AFL-CIO President Tom Chamberlain is among the scheduled speakers.

 "After the rally, everyone is encouraged to show Powell's that a good labor relations policy will be rewarded," said Ryan Takas, chief negotiator for ILWU Local 5. "Start your holiday shopping early; buy a book after the rally and then join us in the Local 5 hall for warm libations, snacks and celebration."

Be sure when you pay to say you're here to support the workers of ILWU Local 5.

Contract celebration rally and shop union day
Friday, November 2, 5:30 pm
North Park Blocks (in front of Powell's Technical Store), Portland

 Live outside of Portland? You can still show your support for union workers ... Go to www.powellsunion.com  and make any purchase; 10% of every sale through our site goes directly to the workers!

-Oregon AFL-CIO, Weekly Update

October 24, 2007

 


ILWU Endorsement
Oct 10, 2007
 

ILWU Endorses Jeff Merkley for US Senate

 

The International Longshore and Warehouse Union threw its support today behind Oregon Democratic House Speaker Jeff Merkley’s bid to unseat Gordon Smith. The ILWU is the first AFL-CIO union to endorse Jeff for U.S. Senate.

“The ILWU is committed to advancing the political and economic interests of workers in the United States and throughout the world,” ILWU Secretary-Treasurer William Adams said in a letter to Jeff. “We look forward to working with you to achieve our mutual goals.”

The ILWU represents 60,000 workers on the West Coast of the United States and Hawaii. These men and women are employed in longshore, warehousing, agriculture, tourism, and manufacturing industries. The marine division of the ILWU, the Inland Boatmen’s Union, represents ferry, tug, and barge workers.

The Longshoremen joined the United Food and Commercial Workers Local 555, which was the first union to endorse Jeff. They comprise a growing group of unions committed to electing a US Senator who will represent Oregon’s workers and their families.

Posted Jeff Merkley website

October 9, 2007

http://www.jeffmerkley.com/

 

 


 



Oregon AFL-CIO
Oct 02, 2007

Get Involved, Make A Difference, Have Some Fun!

 Check out the Oregon AFL-CIO Action website. 

The election is only a month away.  Read about the issues and upcoming events on the new Oregon AFL-CIO Action website.

http://action.oraflcio.org/

 

 


We Are The ILWU
Sep 18, 2007

 

 WE ARE THE ILWU

 

 ILWU debuts its first TV commercial (60 second)

ILWU Commercial: "We Are The ILWU" (30 second)

(click above links to watch commercials)

 
The ILWU Longshore Division is proud to announce that its first television commercial, "We Are the ILWU," will be airing in major cable TV markets in California, Oregon and Washington State starting in September 2007. You can watch sixty-second and thirty-second versions of the ad via YouTube:

 ****



ILWU Movie Premiere
Sep 06, 2007

***

ILWU Movie Premiere

EYE OF THE STORM

A documentary film of the 2002 ILWU Contract Struggle & PMA Lockout

movie trailer - http://workernews.org/eyeofthestorm/index.htm

***

Tuesday, September 11, 2007

Mission Theater

1624 N.W. Glisan ~ Portland, OR 97209

Doors open 7:30pm

Movie Starts 7:50 pm

(no one under 21 years of age allowed without parent)

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ILWU documentary film by Amy Williams depicting the 2002 contract struggle between the union and the shippers who ultimately locked out thousands of longshore workers from ports on the west coast. The film offers interviews and news clips showing all sides and actions in the 2002 struggle, which lasted nine months, and gives a history of the ILWU from its birth during the bloody 1934 west coast maritime strike through today, as a grass-roots-led progressive democratic force within American labor.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Parking will be difficult.  You may park at Local 8's hiring hall 2435 NW Front Ave., and take the shuttle bus to the Mission Theater.  The shuttle will leave at 6:30 pm and at 7:00 pm.  The film is 60 minutes long.  The shuttle bus will bring everyone back to Local 8'sw hall after the showing.

 

 ***

 


2007 Columbia River Scramble
Jul 19, 2007

2007 Columbia River Golf Scramble

Colwood Golf Course

July 19, 2007 

Photos from the event are posted in the photo gallery.

***

 


Port of Portland Seaport Celebration
Jul 11, 2007

 

Seaport Celebration--Discovering the Treasures of Terminal 6
You're invited to the third annual Seaport Celebration at Terminal 6 on Aug. 25 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Plenty of fun activities for all ages - face painting, games, prizes, equipment demonstrations by the International Longshore and Warehouse Union, and tours of the dock with views of the large container cranes. Captain Bogg & Salty will perform at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m., and the ILWU will grill food while supplies last.

From clothes to cars to computers, the kinds of commodities you depend on every day are delivered through the Port of Portland's marine terminals. Because most of the activity happens behind the scenes, the terminals have always been a bit of a mystery - until now. Join us for a fun-filled day, and learn how a container terminal operates and how important the jobs related to the maritime industry are to our economy.

 

Saturday, August 25
10:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.

Terminal 6
7201 N. Marine Drive
Portland, OR 97203

Please RSVP Today!

RSVP here.
Directions to Seaport Celebration

Photo ID required for all adults

Note:  RSVP is not required but appreciated in order to
get an accurate count for event planning purposes.

Please contact Teresa Carr if you have any questions at 503.944.7010.

 

 


HB 3339 - Lockout Bill Signed!
Jun 28, 2007

Longshore Workers Celebrate Lockout Bill Signing

Signing of HB 3339, also known as the lockout bill.

Gov. Ted Kulongoski said he was "leveling the playing field" yesterday ( June 26, 2007) when he signed HB 3339, which will provide unemployment benefits to employees that are prevented from working, even when their labor unit is not involved in the dispute.

"Working people should not be excluded from help during a dispute when they are not involved," State Sen. Vicki Walker (D-Eugene) said when the bill passed in the Senate. "This is about fairness for working people."

Currently, employees locked out by employers in a single-employer bargaining unit are allowed to receive unemployment benefits during a lockout. However, in multi-employer units, employees in those units affiliated with those in a dispute can be locked out even if they are not directly a part of the dispute. HB 3339 will simply allow them to get unemployment benefits like those in a single-employer bargaining unit.

In 2002, Longshore Workers along the entire West Coast were locked out when the multi-employer group representing approximately 70 employer groups locked out 25,000 Longshore workers in Oregon, Washington and California. Locked-out workers in Washington and California received benefits, but Oregon workers did not. At least 30 states do not preclude locked out workers from receiving unemployment benefits.

HB 3339 was the No. 1 priority bill for State Rep. Brad Witt (D-Clatskanie), the former Secretary-Treasurer of the Oregon AFL-CIO. Jeff Smith, President of International Longshore and Warehouse Union Local 8, lobbied the State Legislature for the bill and credited Oregon AFL-CIO Political Director Duke Shepard for working tirelessly to pass it. "Duke did amazing work for our members," said Smith.

Taken from the Oregon AFL-CIO's weekly update, June 27, 2007

***


Upcoming events!
Jun 28, 2007

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

 

***


2007 Supercargo School Graduates!
Jun 26, 2007

Congratulations!

2007 Supercargo School Graduates!

 

(L-R) Instructor Jay Clemson, Instructor Randy Johnson, Greg Phillips, Mark Dreith, Jackie Cox, John Robinson, Al Ames, Steve Anderson. (Front) Randy Clark.

***

For more pictures of the supercargo school please go to the Photo Gallery.

 

***


Marvin Ricks, The last survivor of a historic Portland strike
Jun 14, 2007

Willamette Week

Thursday, June 14th, 2007

 

ISSUE #33.30 • NEWS • COLUMN

Marvin Ricks


The last survivor of a historic Portland strike fought scabs, beat a murder rap and made history.


IMAGE: Amy Ouellette
BY JAMES PITKIN | jpitkin at wweek dot com

[June 6th, 2007] Marvin Ricks was a 22-year-old Portland dock worker when local longshoremen joined the West Coast Waterfront Strike of 1934.

For three months starting that May, thousands of workers shut down every U.S. port on the Pacific Coast, demanding an independent union. They won, but only after battling police and hired goons in every major West Coast city, including Portland, where one strike-breaking worker is the only known casualty.

(By comparison, the Pacific Northwest Region of Carpenters, representing 1,300 drywallers in Oregon and Southwest Washington, went on strike starting June 1, with peaceful pickets going up in the Pearl District and South Waterfront.)

Ricks was muscle for the union, fighting scabs and defending picket lines. Charged along with 31 others with murdering a scab, he spent 42 days in jail before the charge was dismissed. He retired from the docks in 1976, still a proud member of the International Longshore & Warehouse Union, AFL-CIO.

At 95, Ricks is the last remaining survivor of the strike that the union can find. He sat down with WW at his room in the Beaverton Hills Assisted Living Center on the strike's 73rd anniversary to recall a defining moment in the labor movement.

WW: What was your role in the strike?
Marvin Ricks: I was on what we called "the riot squad." Each gate at every terminal in Portland had 10 [union] men guarding it. Any time there was trouble, 40 men, called riot squads, could get down there in five minutes. Maybe just appearing would cancel the problem. Or sometimes we talked to a few men "by hand." You know, threw a couple of punches.

You were a tough guy?
I weighed 150 pounds. I was pretty darn tough, though. I had one friend that was a college wrestling champ and another friend that had boxed for a living, so I got pretty fair at both.

I heard you used slingshots, too.
We shot ball bearings—they traveled true, much better than rocks. And they were throwing shackles and anything they could find back at us.

And the people you fought?
They were all scabs.

But these were just people looking for work. Ever feel bad about it?
No. Because we had local men. Most of the ones who came as scabs were from out of town, especially the Middle West. And they were the scum of where they came from. You had a job where you lived if you were a decent worker.

You're proud of the strike?
This was just one of many strikes, but this was the one that got unions started in the United States. We had a company union, and we got that shut down. I was proud of the fact that I helped, because this affected actually the whole world. Before that, no one had won a strike.

advertisement
Centaur Guitar
advertisement

 

I hear prostitutes made sandwiches for the strikers.
Only one day a week, and the taxi cabs would deliver them for free. Within three blocks of the hiring hall [at Northwest 9th Avenue and Everett Street], there were nothing but bootleggers and whorehouses. There were 1,500 men who got a payday on Saturday. Half got drunk and went to a whorehouse.

Did you know any?
I became very well acquainted with a black whore, and we'd stop and talk. She'd say, "Well, we don't like to do this, but we have to eat." Which is true. Negroes could only get a job at the railroad depot.

You were charged with murder?
Yeah, and that was a relief. I thought it might have been sabotage, or assault and battery, or something that I had [actually] done.

Was the jail as crowded as Wapato is now?
Jail was fun. For a single kid, that is. The food was good, the place was clean, and we had a continuous poker game going.

Today's unions seem like wimps.
They should be. The world should progress a little bit, without doing things with your fists. It's much better to try to win it through arbitration or legal methods.

WEB-EXTRA Q&A:

Did you also go after scabs in the bars?
We got a call one night and the bar owner says, "Hey, I've got a couple of men in here talking, and they sound like scabs." This was up on [Northwest] 23rd and Lovejoy, I believe. So four of us went in there, and these two scabs kind of paled when we walked in. We says, "Hi, fellas, it's good to see you again," and put a wrist lock on each one when we were shaking hands. With a wrist lock, you can break an arm if you want to, or dislocate a shoulder. We said, "Fellas, we know you're too drunk to get home, so we'll carry you home." So we arm-marched them out and then talked to them by hand, a few judicious punches here and there.

What about the cops?
The police were nearly all for us. And then Mayor [Joseph] Carson began pulling all the good police uptown to direct traffic, and sent the bad ones down. But then we had one detective that was a friend of ours. And every week he would mail us a letter containing the names and addresses of all the new special policemen the department had hired, so that we knew where to lay in wait to catch them when they went home. That discouraged people from joining [the police], because you couldn't get home. You couldn't have quite so much fun doing this.

Ricks and 31 others were charged in the murder of James Connor during a riot. Ricks had an alibi but stayed in jail until charges were dropped for the others. Evidence suggests Connor died from a stray shot fired by another scab.

Ricks, a widower, has three children, "about" 13 grandchildren and 14 great-grandkids.

 

******

 


Help Pass Fusion Voting - A letter from Barbara Dudley and David Strader, OWFP Co-Chairs
Jun 10, 2007

Dear Friends of Fusion Voting and the Oregon Working Families Party:

Only a few weeks remain in the Oregon Legislative session. We need to take action right away to support HB3040 -- the bill to restore fusion voting in Oregon. Your trips to Salem, calls, emails and handwritten letters to support HB3040 have kept the pressure on. Let's keep up the good work!

Many legislators, including Rep. Chip Shields, Sen. Brad Avakian, Rep. Brad Witt, Rep. Arnie Roblan and our chief sponsor, Rep. Jeff Barker, have been staunch supporters and have been doing everything they can to pass HB3040. Now we need to start focusing on the legislators that we have not heard from yet, or who are still deciding whether they should support fusion voting. So we need your help!

Please send an email to your State Representative and State Senator right now!

We encourage you to use your own words to urge your legislators to vote YES on HB3040. Feel free to use the language we've suggested as a starting point. Be sure you include the bill number, HB3040, in your message.

To take action, follow this link:
http://oregonwfp.org/takeaction.html (cut and paste to browser)

With only a few more weeks to go, your help can make fusion voting a reality in Oregon!

In solidarity,

Barbara Dudley & Dave Strader
OWFP Co-chairs



 

Help Pass Fusion Voting

We only have a few weeks left to pass fusion voting in the Oregon Legislature. You can make sure the bill passes.

Please send an email to your State Representative and State Senator right now!

http://oregonwfp.org/takeaction.html (cut and paste to browser)

 




Pensioners Brunch, April 28, 2007
May 08, 2007

 

2007 Pensioners Brunch ** Sheraton Airport Hotel
April 28, 2007

 

To view the pictures of the event.

Click on Photo Gallery (left side of this page, under main menu)

Then, click on the drop down menu  and click on Pensioners Brunch 2007.

 

***

 


Employee Free Choice Act (S. 1041)
Apr 18, 2007

Political Action Alert!

Call Senator Gordon Smith

503-326-3386 or 202-224-3753

Ask him to fight for American Workers!

Ask him to Support the

Employee Free Choice Act (S. 1041)

The Employee Free Choice Act would give workers a fair chance to form unions to improve their lives by:

  • Allowing them to form unions by signing cards authorizing union representation.
  • Providing mediation and arbitration for first-contract disputes.
  • Establishing stronger penalties for violation of employee rights when workers seek to form a union and during first-contract negotiations.

 

 

 




Page Last Updated: Aug 20, 2009 (07:55:00)
 
 
ILWU Local 40
Copyright © 2024, All Rights Reserved.
Powered By UnionActive™

422801 hits since Sep 09, 2004
Visit Unions-America.com!

Top of Page image