Open
World Conference of Workers
In Defense of Trade Union Independence & Democratic Rights
Solidarity Statements Send to October 10th International Solidarity Rally with the ILWU, Held at ILWU Local 10 Hall in San Francisco
1) Statement from Julian Garcia Gonzalez, General Coordinator of the
International Dockworkers Council (IDC), on the Situation of the West
Coast Ports of the United States
2) Greetings from French Workers Party and ILC
3) Greetings from Jerry Gordon, Chair, Ohio State Labor Party
4) Solidarity message from Globalization Monitor, Hong Kong
5) Solidarity message from Black Workers For Justice (North Carolina)
6) Solidarity message from All Pakistan Trade Union Federation
7) Solidarity message from LALIT, Mauritius (Africa)
8) Solidarity message from Hong Kong Support Committee
9) "Every union throughout the world must be ready to walk at your
request"
10) Solidarity Message from the Mouvement de défense des travailleurs -
Belgium
11) "Do whatever it takes to win. You do this for all of us!"
12) Greetings from CGT-FO Dockworkers and Transport Workers Union of the
Port of Toulon (France)
13) "Even Taft-Hartley can't force workers to risk life and
health"
14) "A double standard on government intervention"
15) "If the ILWU goes down, what hope is there for the rest of us,
organized or not"
16) "If this activity were practiced by China's Jiang Zemin, the
State Dept. would denounce it in an annual report"
17) "You carry the hope for a safe and decent future for all
workers"
18) "Bushites once again are showing lack of respect for lives of the
working class"
19) Introduction to Last Batch of Solidarity Statements with ILWU
20) Solidarity Motion from General Confederation of Workers (CGTP) of
Portugal
21) Presentation by Bjorn Borg, Representative of the International
Dockworkers Council, to the October 10 International Solidarity Rally for
the ILWU in San Francisco
22) CGT-Force Ouvriere, Paris Federation, Press Release Issued Tuesday,
October 1, 2002, Following Meeting with ILWU Local 10 Secretary-Treasurer
Clarence Thomas
23) Solidarity Statement from CGT-FO National Federation of
Infrastructure, Transportation and Service Workers
24) Solidarity Statement from Southship Merchant Marines Union
(Valparaiso, Chile)
25) Solidarity Messages from Trade Unions Across France (Summaries of 8
messages)
********************
1) Statement from the General Coordinator of the International
Dockworkers Council (IDC) on the Situation of the West Coast Ports of the
United States
October 10, 2002
Dear Sisters and Brothers:
As I was unable to remain in the United States to attend your evening
solidarity rally, I have asked Brother Alan Benjamin to read the following
message -- which is that of a longshore worker who at this time has
assumed the task of coordinator of the International Dockworkers Council (IDC)
and who, as such, is conscious of the critical situation facing
dockworkers the world over.
During the days I was able to spend in the United States alongside the
officers of the ILWU, in particular ILWU President Jim Spinosa, it became
more and more evident to me that the unprecedented attacks against the
West Coast dockworkers are part of a coordinated worldwide plan carried
out by the multinational shipping companies, with the assistance of the
President of the United States.
It's a coordinated plan because in Europe, too, there are efforts under
way in the European Parliament to institute new laws and a new legal code
that would increase the profits of the multinational corporations and
modify significantly the status of the dockworkers, rolling back social
gains and benefits and worsening their overall working conditions. These
are the same objectives sought by Bush when he invoked such an old law as
Taft-Hartley -- a law that, without a doubt, will only favor the
multinational shippers.
As always, we cannot expect any other type of response from governments --
be they in America or in Europe. All support without fault the interests
of the speculators of the labor force, thereby increasing their profits.
We who work on the waterfront perform our jobs well. We are pledged day
after day to improve productivity as we monitor the modernization that
takes place in the ports. We know we play a key role in the flow of goods
and in world trade. But it is precisely because of this that we insist
that the conditions of our employment must be negotiated by representative
trade union bodies, free from the interference of all the citizens -- that
is, from the governments -- that can only favor one sector of society,
which is the smallest, the most speculative, the most set on increasing
its profits. In other words, we are opposed to government intervention,
which, in the name of the general interest, only benefits the
multinational corporations.
It is important to remember that whereas the corporations and global
capital have no nation of their own and that they shift their production
facilities and martime traffic at whim to satisfy their corporate greed,
we the workers remain in the ports and are proud to be citizens of free
and democratic nations.
In the face of this assault by the multinationals, there is only one
response: the UNITY OF WORKING PEOPLE. In this context, it is the
INTERNATIONAL UNITY of the dockworkers the world over. We must send this
message loud and clear to the shipping companies, which load cargo in one
port, but then have to unload it in another port.
This struggle of the West Coast dockworkers is one you will have to carry
out -- but you should know that you are not alone. All dockworkers around
the world, but particularly those organized under the banner of the IDC,
know that this is our common struggle. First, because they too are victims
in ports the world over of the same kind of attacks by the employers --
but also because we are part of the same family, the same brotherhood and
sisterhood of workers in the same industry ... because in our hearts a
burning flame of solidarity has been lit, a flame that even a hurricane
cannot put out.
As the general coordinator of the IDC, I will work tirelessly to see that
your struggle reaches all ports around the world so that you may receive
the concrete solidarity of all dockworkers.
Rest assured that you are not alone on the West Coast. Your struggle is
our struggle; it's the struggle of workers in ports the world over.
In Solidarity,
Julian Garcia Gonzalez,
General Coordinator,
International Dockworkers Council (IDC)
********************
2) Greetings from French Workers Party and ILC
Entente Internationale des Travailleurs
87, rue du Faubour St. Denis
75010 Paris, France
Dear Coordinators of the OWC:
Please forward these solidarity greetings to the ILWU for the
international labor solidarity rally with the ILWU. Thank you. -- Daniel
Gluckstein, National Secretary, French Workers Party and Coordinator,
International Liaison Committee for a Workers' International (ILC)
----
To: ILWU Local 10 Oct. 10 International Labor Solidarity Rally
Dear Sisters and Brothers:
On behalf of the French Workers Party and the International Liaison
Committee for a Workers' International (ILC) -- with its affiliate unions,
organizations and activists in more than 70 countries -- I send our
fraternal greetings to all ILWU officers and members, and to all trade
unionists and labor rights activists assembled at your rally.
We join you in denouncing the set-up orchestrated in common by the Pacific
Maritime Association and the Bush administration over many months with the
aim of securing a Taft-Hartley injunction. This injunction now places the
Bush administration in the driver's seat to implement the union-busting
plans of the employers.
We are encouraged to read the strong statements denouncing Taft-Hartley
and the employer/government union-busting assault that have been issued
both by the ILWU leadership and the national AFL-CIO leadership.
Two weeks ago, we organized a four-day tour of France by ILWU Local 10
Secretary-Treasurer Clarence Thomas. Brother Thomas's powerful message
stirred his audiences everywhere and brought to light the common attacks
we are being subjected to as working people on all continents by the
multinational corporations and all the politicians in their service.
You can be assured of the widespread support for your difficult struggle
from French working people and from the fighting trade union movement. We
have learned that numerous statements of support have been sent your way
from dockworker and transport worker unions across France, as well as from
leading forces in the trade union federations.
Rest assured that any call for action emanating from within your struggle
will be heeded by working people the world over. We are at your side.
During Brother Thomas's tour, we noted in common that the U.S. war drive
against the people in Iraq is part and parcel of the same drive to bust
the ILWU. It is no coincidence that the very same week Bush invoked
Taft-Hartley to deal a blow to the U.S. trade union movement, he is
seeking Congressional approval to bomb the Iraqi people.
We in the French Workers Party and the ILC firmly believe that the U.S.
war against working people is both international and domestic. These are
two sides of the same coin of war and exploitation. We commend ILWU Local
10 for its outspoken stance against the new U.S. war in Iraq -- and for
appealing for international labor solidarity with the ILWU. With this
stance you are pointing the way forward for working people everywhere!
Long live the ILWU!
Long live the international working class!
No to Taft-Hartley!
No to Union-busting!
In solidarity,
Daniel Gluckstein,
National Secretary, French Workers Party
Coordinator, International Liaison Committee
--
[Note: Daniel Gluckstein is a member of the Continuations Committee
of the Open World Conference in Defense of Independent Trade Unions and
Democratic Rights. Two of the speakers who addressed the October 10th
rally in San Francisco are also members of the OWC Continuations
Committee. They are Jack Henning, Secretary-Treasurer- Emeritus,
California Labor Federation (AFL-CIO), and Walter Johnson,
Secretary-Treasurer, San Francisco Labor Council (AFL-CIO).]
********************
3) Greetings from Jerry Gordon, Chair, Ohio State Labor Party
Greetings to the ILWU and to all the West Coast Dock Workers.
We understand full well that the union busting action taken by the Bush
administration in invoking Taft-Hartley is calculated to force dock
workers back to work under the PMA's terms.
The plan is to have a federal judge give the bosses what they could not
otherwise have gotten: micromanaged control over how every worker does his
or her job. The name of this game is unfettered speedup, with all the
necessary and legitimate safety measures which the ILWU fought so hard to
win over the years rendered null and void. Workers who insist on working
under safe conditions will be threatened with discipline including
firings, fines and contempt of court jail sentences. This must not stand!
This is a moment of supreme crisis for the entire labor movement. We
cannot afford another PATCO!! Either all-out support for the West Coast
dock workers until victory is won, or hand the bosses a victory through
weakness and indecision. That is the stark choice. There is no other. If
the PMA and the government win, all of the bosses will have been given the
green light they so anxiously seek to smash the entire labor movement and
render it impotent.
The ILWU has a long and proud record of solidarity in support of other
workers, both in this country and internationally. Now it is the ILWU
which needs solidarity demonstrated by others. We must not fail you!
The October 8 Wall Street Journal states, "California lawmakers --
Democratic and Republican alike -- are pressing Mr. Bush to use his power
to end [the dock workers' lockout]." We should never forget that in
1947, a majority of the Democrats in Congress voted in favor of the slave
labor Taft-Hartley bill. It would not have become law without their
support. This only underscores why we need our own workers' party to
protect our interests. The bosses' parties will betray us every time.
With the united support of workers in this country and throughout the
world, this fight can and must be won. On to victory! Solidarity Forever!
Jerry Gordon
Chair,
Ohio State Labor Party
********************
4) Solidarity Message from Globalization Monitor, Hong Kong
In solidarity with the ILWU workers!
Oppose the Bush administration's move of invoking the Taft-Hartley act!
The PMA has locked out 29 west coast ports since 30th of September, an act
which should be considered to be attacking the right to collective
bargaining. The lock out has already caused more than 10 billion US
dollars damages, but the responsibility lies on the PMA. However, the Bush
administration's decision to invoke the Taft-Hartley act is simply blaming
the victims and letting go the bad guys.
For thirty years the PMA has been keep on attacking the basic rights of
long shores workers. If the PMA has the upper hands, it will further deal
a blow to workers. That's why they are now fighting back.
The position of the PMA is only a miniature of the global picture. For 20
years many alongshore workers in many parts of the world has seen their
wages cut and their colleagues fired. In Hong Kong, the OOCL, the big
company which is owned by Tung Chee Wah -- the current chief executive of
HK -- has been laying off workers and cutting their wages. If the PMA
succeeds in attacking the union rights of ILWU, then it will sooner or
later affect us in a negative way. In a word, globalization has already
linked the fate of all workers in different parts of the world more than
ever.
An injury to one is an injury to all!
Oppose the Bush administration in invoking the Taft-Hartley act!
7th October 2002
********************
5) Solidarity Message from Black Workers For Justice
Black Workers For Justice
P.O. Box 2951
Rocky Mount, NC 27802,
1-252-977-1419
10/5/02
Dear Brothers and Sisters of ILWU Local 10,
We in the Black Workers For Justice (BWFJ) in North Carolina and Atlanta,
Ga., send our solidarity to you in your courageous struggle against
corporate abuse, and against the attempts by the Bush administration to
impose martial law on the West Coast ports to deny workers their
democratic right to bargain for a decent contract.
The ILWU Local 10 has been a beacon for the US and international working
class; a champion for justice not only in the workplace, but in society,
including your strong opposition to the proposed invasion of Iraq.
We will never forget the ILWU 10's immediate response and support of the
Charleston 5 and ILA Local 1422. Your defense of the Charleston 5 and
their overwhelmingly African American majority and led union and support
for Mumia Abu Jamal helps to exemplify the deep connection you see between
the plight of African Americans against system of racist oppression and
the plight of workers for power against the political and economic forces
of corporate greed.
As the US South has the lowest percentage of trade unions in the country
and one of the strongest anti-union climates, it is important that we show
concrete solidarity with your struggle so that workers in the South will
see the strength in the labor movement.
The US government union busting attack on PATCO in 1980 must never happen
again. This attack today on the ILWU Local 10 must be met by the national
and international solidarity of workers whether they are unionized or not.
The BWFJ wants to humbly do our part!
Solidarity Forever!
********************
6) Solidarity Message from the All Pakistan Trade Union Federation
Dear Comrades,
Greetings from All Pakistan Trade Union Federation.
It was a great shock to hear that Port workers in the USA are struggling
hard to win their demands.
We in Pakistan under the banner of APTUF are struggling very hard as well.
Pakistan Railway workers are being denied their rights, and management is
not allowing union to work in the premises of Pakistan Railway.
On behalf of APTUF and its hundreds of thousands of members, we express
our strong solidarity and firm support to ILWU and San Francisco Labor
Council and Alameda Central Labor Council for holding your solidarity
rally. Your struggle is encouraging and heartening for the working class
of Pakistan.
Hope your struggle becomes a milestone for working class around the world.
Longlive working class!
Longlive international Solidarity!
Gulzar Ahmed Chaudhry
General Secretary ,
APTUF
*******************
7) Solidarity Message from LALIT, Mauritius
Dear Alan Benjamin and everyone at OWC:
Thank you for all the updates on the struggle of the ILWU.
1) This letter is to express our support -- that of everyone in LALIT,
Mauritius -- for the portworkers of the ILWU in this key moment of their
industrial action. We have been following with great interest and
admiration. Their action has been reported on the international news here,
and Bush sounds very threatening now. I heard two longshoremen from
Seattle being interviewed (for about one little soundbyte each) on the
BBC, and they both sounded very determined. Please convey our message of
solidarity, if this is at all possible.
2) Yesterday LALIT sent a letter to some 40 Mauritian organizations
(unions, associations, grass roots organizations) calling on everyone to
think about the issues on which to oppose Bush (He is due to visit
Mauritius in mid-January for the AGOA Forum). We have listed the points on
which we know there is already convergence of interest against his
policies: AGOA (first, as that is the supposed main aim of his visit);
then, of course, against Bush's warmongering and wars; in particular we
will be calling for the immediate closure of the US base on Diego Garcia,
which is Mauritian, and which is used for the B 52's and soon perhaps B
2's as well, against the people of Afganistan and Iraq; we will be
supporting the people of Diego Garcia's massive reparations claim for
their forcible eviction from the islands they lived on (Chagos
archipelago) against the US Government and individuals like Cheyney,
Rumsfield, and against the multinational corporations in the business of
running bases (filed in the US Courts in January, 2002); against the US
refusal to sign up to Kyoto; against the death penalty in general, and in
particular execution of minors, mentally ill people, and innocent people
(the Save Mumia Campaign will come in here); against the US ideology of
incarceration and prisons; against the institutionalised racism, and
against Bush's sabotaging of the UN conference on racism last year;
against the US arming Israel and thus aiding in the genocidal war against
the people of Palestine; against Bush for his rescinding of the
Anti-Ballistic Missiles Treaty; for his refusal to sign up to the ICC, and
the manipulation into bilateral treaties for non-handing over of US
citizens accused of genocide; against Bush for his contribution to the
classification of the world's people into two: Americans whose lives have
value, and others who are expendable. And FOR the creation of a new kind
of society where equality, freedom, justice give everyone the right to
land, food, and work. And a few other points. Already response is
positive. Organizations working with children have already replied that
they will protest (additionally) about the US not having signed up to the
UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. Environmental groups have said
that they will be opposing Bush for his Administration forcing GMO foods
(un-crushed maize) on starving people in drought-stricken Southern Africa.
Warm wishes from all the friends and comrades here to those there,
Yours, in struggle, and in haste,
Lindsey Collen
for LALIT, in Mauritius
********************
8) Solidarity message from Hong Kong Support Committee
Brothers and Sisters
In Hong Kong we have been watching the events over the lockout and the
state intervention with horror and anger, and you will have already
received the message of support from the Hong Kong Longshoremen.
We have formulated a strategy in support of the ILWU for the entire area
of the Pearl River Delta. From Guangzhou (Canton) to Hong Kong and have
reaffirmed links with our regional counterparts in Japan, Philippines,
Taiwan and Korea.
We have produced materials that are now circulating the entire trades
union movement here calling for solidarity action in support of the ILWU.
Such is being prepared.
The might of your organisation is massive. The effect of this dispute has
been earthshattering.
Some facts...
The entire trade from Canton to Hong Kong with the USA (our largest export
market) has stopped!
We have goods stockpiled everywhere and a massive shortage of containers.
The workers here have become aware of the importance of your struggle and
their own power!
You have scared the employers across all Asia! They are angry at their
counter-parts of the PMA!
Not in recent memory has such an event taken place -- the giant that is
American organised labour has awoken the gigantic tiger of organised
labour in Hong Kong and Southern China.
We are with you and will not leave your side. We will struggle together
and achieve victory.
An Injury to One is an Injury to All.
John Ho,
Hong Kong Committee in Support of the Yankee Dockers!
********************
9) "Every union throughout the world must be ready to walk at your
request"
To all ILWU members:
No government authority in any jurisdiction in the U.S. -- local, state or
federal -- should ever be able to contemplate taking coercive action
against the labor movement without living in fear of having everything
shut down around it. This is especially true in your situation. Every
union in the U.S., in fact, throughout the world, must be willing to walk
out at your request.
Global solidarity forever,
Hal Sutton, trustee
UAW Local 1268 (in a personal capacity)
********************
10) Solidarity Message from the Mouvement de défense des travailleurs
- Belgium
Brothers and Sisters of the ILWU,
On behalf of my organisation, I support your meeting of dockers. I hope
success for your movement.
Solidarity!
Philippe Larsimont
Coordinator of the MDT - Belgium
********************
11) "Do whatever it takes to win. You do this for all of us!"
To the ILWU:
We are union members. Currently I am in UFCW Local 839 and my husband and
daughter are in the IAM You have the full support of my family, and I'm
talking to everyone I can about this. Thank you for your strength. Do
whatever it takes to win. You do this for all of us.
BTW, I have written two letters to the San Jose Mercury News in support of
the union. Neither has been published, nor have any other letters on the
subject in that newspaper. I will continue to dog them until they publish
something.
Sharlene Cece,
Ben Lomond, CA
********************
12) Greetings from CGT-FO Dockworkers and Transport Workers Union of
the Port of Toulon (France)
CGT-Force Ouvriere
Housing, Transport, Docks,
Maritime and Environmental Workers
SECTION of the VAR
Port of TOULON, October 10, 202
To the Dockworkers of the West Coast of the US:
Dear comrades:
In the name of the leadership of the CGT-FO federation of "Equipement"
in Toulon, and most particularly in the name of its maritime workers and
dockworkers in the Port of Brégaillon, I send our fraternal greetings to
the ILWU dockworkers of the West Coast of the United States.
We have just learned with great indignation that following the
"lockout" imposed on the dockworkers by the employers of the PMA,
the government decided to resort to the anti-union Taft-Hartley Act,
ordering the workers back to their jobs but banning any
collective-bargaining grievances for the next 80 days.
We who are firmly attached to trade union and democratic rights cannot
accept such an attack on the right to file grievances and negotiate --
indeed, on the very right to function as a trade union, free from
government or employer interference. We assure ILWU, and particularly its
Local 10, of our full and unswerving support,
In solidarity,
Gerard Luiggi,
General Secretary,
CGT-FO Equipement Section of the Var
France
********************
13) "Even Taft-Hartley can't force workers to risk life and
health"
Dear OWC and ILWU:
If the employees' safety concerns are genuine and supported by specific
sections of OSHA, neither employer nor Union can force individuals to
place themselves in harm's way.
Any such action can result in the employee filing a complaint with OSHA.
Civil remedy may also be available to the individual depending on the
nature of the complaint. Even the Taft-Hartly injunction can't force an
individual to risk life and health for fear of losing his job.
William Millier
(via email)
*************
14) "A double standard on government intervention"
Dear OWC and ILWU:
Don't you find it interesting how the current administration sees fit to
intervene so quickly on this issue, yet when "Dixie Energy
Terrorists" throttle the California economy (6th ranked) for campaign
cash, somehow that's no reason to intervene. I believe the response was
"That's a Cali problem". Makes ya wonder, huh?
Galen (Actively submitted)
(via email)
**********************
15) "If the ILWU goes down, what hope is there for the rest of us,
organized or not"
Brother Stallone and members of the ILWU,
I'm writing to voice my full support of all portworkers in this struggle.
While I'm not a currently a union member, I am well aware of the dangerous
ramifications this dire situation brings to all workers, everywhere. If
the ILWU goes down according to Dubya's & the PMA's plan, what hope
for the rest of us, organized or not?
I am active with the Portworkers' Solidarity Committee & am prepared
to do my share. See you at Local 10, Thursday evening. Victory to the ILWU!
Solidarity Forever,
Timothy Stinson
(via email)
*********************
16) "If this activity were practiced by China's Jiang Zemin, the
State Dept. would denounce it in an annual report"
Dear OWC and ILWU:
I have read your e-mail with a certain amount of alarm.
My summary of the situation:
King George Bush II thinks that Christmas toys stuck on the dock are a
threat to national security;
The Pentagon shipping war time military goods via Taiwanese or whatever
shipping lines is, however, entirely acceptable practice; and;
The health and safety of longshoremen is irrelevant compared to KGB's
worries that he'll be dumped like his father for disastrous economic
policies.
How many other civil liberties will be pushed aside in the name of this
man's crusade to cause war for the sake of Texan oil companies?
I live in China, and if this sort of activity were practised by Jiang
Zemin, then the State Department would be denouncing it in an annual
report.
I wish you the best of luck in such times.
David A. McKellar
(via email)
****************
17) "You carry the hope for a safe and decent future for all
workers"
Greetings in solidarity to the ILWU:
You carry the hope for a safe and decent future working life for all
workers with you in your brave stand against the bosses and against a
political establishment that represents violence and malevolence.
Harry Kershner
(via email)
*******************
18) "Bushites once again are showing lack of respect for lives of
the working class"
Dear OWC and ILWU:
It is clear that once again the Bush forces have used the excuse of their
"war" to force workers to risk their lives under terms dictated
by an employer. It is striking (pun intended) that the court ordered the
workers not to take the time needed to work safely, but did not enjoin the
employer from requiring them to speed up work past the level of safety. I
would appear that even before troops are committed to the "war,"
the Bushites are showing their lack of respect for the lives of the
working class.
The Taft-Hartley act, unless I've forgotten something, has no mechanism to
require EMPLOYERS to obey, only to force WORKERS back. The workers are
willing to go back and work safely, if only the employers will let them.
However, since the current regime (unelected and illegal) is going to be
the one making up the committee which will determine if both sides are
bargaining in good faith, guess what its findings will be! This will only
add to the anti-worker coverage in the mass media.
We MUST get our message out and heard by the general public. They have
come to believe what they are taught in school and hear on the mass media
-- that laabor unions are the cause of all economic and social woes, and
that if we simply give business unfettered control of everything, we will
have a paradise!
Just like we had before the recognition of unions, in the early part of
the last century! Since history is not taught, they have no way to judge!
Helen A. Spalding
(via email)
********************
19) Introduction to Part 3 of Solidarity Statements Series
As a result of the four-day tour to France at the end of September by
ILWU Local 10 Secretary-Treasurer Clarence Thomas, statements of support
for the ILWU have been coming in to ILWU Local 10 and to the S.F. Labor
Council from unions across France and throughout Europe. The tour was
organized by the French Workers Party and the International Liaison
Committee for a Workers' International, both of which participate in the
Continuations Commiteee of the Open World Conference.
In the previous Solidarity Statements postings (Parts 1 & 2) , some of
these statements were reprinted. In this posting No. 3, we are including
the full text of some of these international greetings, but most have been
summarized for reasons of time, given the large number of statements that
continue to come in. Copies of the original faxed statements can be
obtained upon request from the OWC at the addresses listed above. - Alan
Benjamin, OWC
********************
20) CGTP (Portugal) Solidarity Motion with the West Coast Dockworkers
and the ILWU in Struggle Against the Employers and the U.S. Government
[Introductory Note: The following motion was presented by 80
unionists of the CGTP (Portuguese General Workers' Confederation, the
largest and most representative labor confederation in Portugal) at a
National Rally assembled with the purpose of mobilizing against the
government attacks on labor laws. This motion was applauded loudly by the
4,000 unionists present, and the organizers of the rally undertook to send
a solidarity message at their own initiative.]
Having learned that the West Coast dockers are engaged in a
struggle against the attacks by the maritime employers, who want to
destroy the workers' collective bargaining by trying to withdraw from the
Union the control of its workers' hiring hall and other workplace gains,
in order to impose labor without rights;
Having learned that the Administration of President Bush has threatened
the ILWU unionists that, if they were take to take strike action in their
quest for a fair contract, such action would be considered tantamount to a
"terrorist" action and so the Army would be called to intervene;
Having learned that the maritime employers, with the support of Bush
Administration, have locked out 29 ports, preventing the workers from
working with the intention of subduing the Union;
The national rally of CGTP unionists and Labor Committees, assembled on
10th October, declares its support for West Coast dockers and the ILWU in
defense of their labor contract and rights, and rejects the Bush
Administration intention of destroying the Union.
********************
21) Presentation by Bjorn Borg, Representative of the International
Dockworkers Council, to the October 10 International Solidarity Rally for
the ILWU in San Francisco
Brothers and sisters, longshoreworkers and friends of longshoreworkers.
I am a longshoreman/dockworker from the port of Stockholm, Sweden, which I
find important to mention since we are a rank & file union just like
ILWU. I am also national president of the Swedish Dockworkers Union and
European Coordinator of International Dockworkers Council -- IDC -- which
is an international organisation being made up of dockworkers for the sake
of dockworkers. IDC was founded on the Spanish Tenerife Island just a
little more than two years ago, and today we count nearly 50,000 members
in a number of countries around the world.
I have come to San Francisco together with two brothers from the Spanish
Coordinadora union; Julian Garcia, who is the General Coordinator of IDC,
and José Luis Llorca. They had to go back to Europe today to attend a
vital meeting in their own country, but they asked me to pass on their
solidarity greetings to all of you.
We have come here to get accurate information about the current situation
in the port conflict and also to discuss what can be done internationally
to support the U.S. West Coast longshoreworkers and their union ILWU.
We know, having experienced a lot of fights in the ports around the world
during the last decade, that there is a great need for international
support. I just have to mention the courageous fight of the Liverpool
dockworkers and the strong resistance by the Maritime Union of Australia
towards Patrick Stevedoring, a company that was trying to replace their
union dockworkers with non-union scabs.
We know that our opponents are global -- some of your employers here on
the US West Coast are the same we have in Europe like Maersk, and others
like SSA you will find in Latin American countries and elsewhere. The
workers of the waterfront have always been aware of the need for
international solidarity -- we only have to think of the founder of this
proud union Harry Bridges who always was an internationalist.
Some of the things that have happened in connection with the ILWU -- PMA
contract negotiations are really extraordinary. Talking about foul play
and you immediately think of PMA and Joe Miniace. They had planned it all
the way, firstly trying to provoke a strike and when that failed using the
lockout weapon, falsely accusing the longshoreworkers of slowdowns.
The governmental intervention, this far peaked by invoking the
Taft-Hartley Act, is not worthy of a democratic country like the United
States of America. It is so evident that they have played everything into
the hands of the employers. Right now the Bush administration has put
itself in the driving seat and PMA is allowed to read the map for them.
Our message is loud and clear -- there should be no governmental
intervention! Let the involved parties -- ILWU and PMA -- deal with their
matters in free and fair negotiations.
What is happening here on the US West Coast will have repercussions
everywhere. The fight is not so much about money, but about power! In
every port where you find a strong union you will find the situation for
the workers (comparatively) good; where the unions are weak or
non-existent the conditions are bad or even worse than that -- it is as
simple as that!
Our opponents are coming after us everywhere and we need to be well
organised to be able to defend ourselves through international solidarity
actions, and you rest assured that we will do our utmost to make that
happen. The ILWU has always been in the forefront of international
solidarity and of course it is nothing but our duty to assist the US West
Coast longshoreworkers because AN INJURY TO ONE IS AN INJURY TO ALL!
********************
22) CGT-Force Ouvriere, Paris Federation, Press Release Issued Tuesday,
October 1, 2002, Following Meeting with ILWU Local 10 Secretary-Treasurer
Clarence Thomas
The Paris Regional Section of the CGT-Force Ouvriere Trade Union
Federation (Union Departementale de Paris) welcomed this Tuesday, October
1st, Brother Clarence Thomas, Secretary-Treasurer of ILWU Local 10, at its
Paris headquarters.
An exchange of information took place on the consequences of the policies
of privatization on all continents. Brother Thomas reported on the
struggle of the ILWU West Coast dockworkers for a decent contract. In the
name of "modernization" and new technologies, Thomas explained,
the employers of the PMA (Pacific Maritime Association) are seeking to
outsource union jobs, break the union hiring hall and undermine the
collective-bargaining agreement itself.
For five months now, negotiations between the union and the employers have
been blocked, and now the PMA has unilaterally imposed a lockout as of
September 29.
The Paris Regional Section of the CGT-Force Ouvriere Trade Union
Federation supports fully the stance taken by David Cockroft, General
Secretary of the International Transportworkers Federation (ITF), who
declared on September 30, "The lockout of the ILWU in 29 West Coast
ports of the United States can only be characterized as a folly."
Cockroft continued, "How is it possible to claim that this anti-union
attack could in any way permit an advance in the quest for a negotiated
solution? History has shown that negotiations conducted at gunpoint are in
fact the last way to ensure harmony in the West Coast ports, which are so
vital to the U.S. economy."
Together with the ITF and with Brother Clarence Thomas and ILWU Local 10,
the Paris Regional Section of the CGT-Force Ouvriere supports the call for
the PMA to lift the lockout and renew good-faith collective bargaining
negotiations with the union.
Loyal to the principles of the labor movement, which state that "An
Injury to One is An Injury to All," the Paris Regional Section of the
CGT-Force Ouvriere sends its fraternal greetings to the ILWU and to all
the trade unions on the West Coast of the United States.
Gabriel Gaudy,
General Secretary,
Union Departementale,
Force Ouvriere de Paris
********************
23) Solidarity Statement from CGT-FO National Federation of
Infrastructure, Transportation and Service Workers
Solidarity with ILWU North American Dockers Union
The FETS-Force Ouvriere Federation, member of the International Transport
Workers Federation, which organizes the dockers' union in France, gives
its full support to the American West Coast dockers' union, the ILWU,
which is fighting against a lockout and threats from the management of the
Pacific Maritime Association.
The FETS-FO totally endorses the ITF resolution, voted at the ITF Congress
in Vancouver by the dockers' section.
The Federation welcomed the visit of the Secretary Treasurer of the ILWU
Local 10 in San Francisco on September 30th, as symbolic of international
solidarity and reasserts that the West Coast dockworkers must have their
rights guaranteed, as well as those of all future workers in this sector
of activity.
Paris, October 9th, 2002
********************
24) Solidarity Statement from Southship Merchant Marines Union
(Valparaiso, Chile)
The 40th Congress of the International Transport Workers Federation (ITF),
held in Vancouver, Canada, adopted unanimously a resolution in solidarity
with the ILWU in its contract negotiations with the Pacific Maritime
Association.
We the Sindicato de Oficiales de Marina Mercante Southship, affiliated
with the ITF, offer our full support to the ILWU in this contract dispute
with the PMA. We are hopeful a fruitful and constructive settlement can be
reached. We are at your side in this struggle.
/signed by Pedro Plascunan, President; Hector Azua, Treasurer; and Rene
Godoy, Secretary
********************
25) Solidarity Messages from Trade Unions Across France (Summaries)
[Note: The following trade unions from France sent greetings to
the October 10th International Solidarity Rally with the ILWU. All the
greetings offer their full and unswerving support to the ILWU until a fair
contract is won, denounce the PMA lockout, denounce the imposition of
Taft-Hartley, and call on the employers and the government to put an end
to such anti-union tactics and for the PMA to return to good-faith
bargaining without any kind of government intervention or coercion.]
a) Syndicat CGT-Force Ouvriere du Personnel des Organismes Sociaux Divers
& Divers de la Region Parisienne [Social Workers Union of Paris
Region] dated Oct. 9 and signed by General Secretary J. Cubaud
b) Union Departementale des Syndicats Force Ouvriere de la Haute-Loire
[Loire Region Federation of CGT-FO] dated Oct. 8, signed by General
Secretary Pascal Samouth
c) Cheminots Region de Paris Nord, Force Ouvriere [CGT-FO Railworkers of
Paris-North] dated Oct. 9 and signed by General Secretary Francois Grasa
d) Syndicat National des Services du Tresor-CGT-Force Ouvriere [National
Treasury Workers Union] dated Oct. 10 and signed by Jean Grillet on behalf
of the Paris Federation Executive Committee
e) Executive Board of CGT in Pontchaillou la Massayé, dated Oct. 10.
Solidarity statement adopted unanimously.
f) SNUDI, Section Departementale de Haute-Loire [Teachers Union of Loire
Region] dated Oct. 10 and signed by Regional Secretary Roland Thonnat
g) SNUDI, CGT-FO, Paris Region [Teachers Union of the Paris Region] dated
Oct. 10 and signed by Deputy Secretary Jacques Berensztein
h) Executive Board of CGT Region of Ile et Villaine, dated Oct. 10.
Solidarity statement adopted unanimously