Former ILWU International Secretary Treasurer and Local 26 President, Joe Ibarra, passed away on February 11th. He was 69 years old. Joe’s life was celebrated at a memorial service on March 4th in San Pedro, CA by family, friends, and his union brothers and sisters. Joe was remembered for a lifetime of outstanding service to workers and for his dedication to social and economic justice for all people.
Joe was born on January 23, 1942 in Agua Caliente, Mexico. He immigrated to San Pedro with his family at a young age. He enrolled at Barton Hill grammar school in San Pedro at the age of 6 and at that time he could not yet speak English. He would go on to graduate from high school and attend classes at Harbor College.
Brother Ibarra began his nearly 40-year career representing ILWU members in 1964 when he was elected to the Local 26 Max Factor negotiating committee. This was the first of many negotiating committees on which he would eventually serve. While serving on the Watchmen’s negotiating committee in 1966, Joe would help establish the first pension plan in that industry.
The membership of Local 26 recognized Joe’s commitment and leadership qualities in 1965 when he was elected by the membership as a delegate to the International Convention. In 1969, he was elected Local 26 President and then in 1975, Joe was elected to the International Executive Board (IEB) along with Rudy Rubio. They were the first two Mexican-Americans to serve on the IEB. Joe continued to serve on the IEB until 1982 when he was appointed Southern California Regional Director, a position he held until 1994 when he was elected International Secretary-Treasurer. Joe was committed to organizing new workers into the ILWU. He ventured into the Imperial Valley where he organized cotton compress workers such as those at CalCot. Joe also organized workers at Great Lakes Carbon Corp., Kerr Steamships and several off-dock container stuffing operations.
Joe was instrumental in organizing office clerical workers into the OCU unit of Local 63. In the 70s, and early 80s Joe had the difficult responsibility of negotiating severance packages for many Local 26 members whose employers either closed up their union shops or moved to the “right to work for less” states.
Joe understood the importance of solidarity. He worked closely with Local 6, which had many employers in common with Local 26. Joe served as the ILWU representative at many Teamster meetings and conferences and he worked closely with the International Federation of Chemical, Energy, Mine, and General Workers Union (ICEM).
He was also politically active in his community. Joe worked with the Watts Community Labor Action Council and he was appointed to the Board of Social Service Commissioners by Los Angeles Mayor Tom Bradley. Later, Mayor Bradley would appoint him to the Police Commission.
As International Secretary Treasurer, Joe put a lot of energy into the International’s education program. He believed strongly ILWU members needed education about the history, traditions and policies of the ILWU. To address this, he helped initiate the highly regarded Leadership, Educations and Development Institute (LEAD).
Joe was also committed to organizing and as Secretary Treasurer; he helped refocus international resources on organizing. He closely watched over the finances of the International union and upon his retirement in 2003, the ILWU was left in the best financial shape in over a decade.
Joe is survived by his wife Elsa, sons Gary and David, daughters, Monica and Angel, nine brothers and sisters, 10 grandchildren and 6 greatgrandchildren.
Friend of Local 142
Joe was a good friend of many of the members and Local Officers of the ILWU in Hawaii and regularly attended Local 142 Conventions as a fraternal delegate.
Joe always took special care of Hawaii delegates who attended the ILWU International Conventions and the Hawaii members of the International Executive Board.
Joe was an avid golfer and regularly brought a large group of Southern California members to play in Local 142’s annual golf tournament, strengthening ties between Hawaii and mainland ILWU members. He will be greatly missed.
Student activists rock Ohio with the ILWU
Over 250 student activists from dozens of college campuses across the country converged at the Ohio State University in Columbus for their annual conference in early February. The United Students Against Sweatshops (USAS) invited ILWU Vice President Ray Familathe to join them as a special guest.
USAS is an organization that corporations can’t afford to ignore. Since forming in 1997, USAS has established affiliate groups on 150 campuses and racked-up an impressive record of wins against powerful corporations including Nike and Russell Athletic. In both those cases, USAS was instrumental in winning settlements for abused workers making their college-logo apparel.
“I went to congratulate these student activists for their work in the past, and thank them for their ongoing campaign to help Rite Aid workers,” said International Vice President Ray Familathe who spent two days meeting with the students. Also on hand were ILWU Organizing Director Peter Olney and officials from the United Food and Commercial Workers Union Local 880, who represent Rite Aid workers around Cleveland, Ohio.
Familathe and the students weren’t deterred by the recordbreaking snowstorms and freezing temperatures that pounded the Midwest before the conference. The 250 activists began their meetings early in the morning and went late into the evening. They also found time to march in support of campus stadium workers on the Ohio State campus in Columbus, who are fighting the giant Sodexo corporation for better wages, benefits, respect on the job, and union recognition.
When Familathe went to the podium, he told the students that he wanted to contact their parents and tell them how proud they should be for raising such hard-working children that want to make the world a better place.
“What you’re doing to help the Rite Aid workers is part of a bigger fight for justice and respect that has to keep moving forward with every generation,” said Familathe, “and you’re doing your part.”
Familathe’s speech was part of a panel that shared recent struggles by workers in the U.S. and abroad, including garment workers in Honduras and the Dominican Republic, along with campus workers at the Ohio State University and the College of William and Mary in Virginia.
Familathe outlined the Rite Aid campaign and the important role that students are now playing. “You mobilized across the country on December 15 to support Rite Aid workers, and now you’re rising up again to mobilize for actions on Valentine’s Day.” He praised the students for their willingness to take on long-term struggles and help workers in other countries.
Familathe noted that the ILWU also has a long history of supporting workers and communities in other lands. “Our slogan is ‘An Injury to One is an Injury to All,’ and we mean it. When Nike workers were organizing for justice in Honduras, the ILWU told Nike corporate that we load and unload your finished goods, and that we didn’t like how they were treating workers who made the products.”
In the Dominican Republic, USAS organizers are supporting Alta Gracia, a factory that produces “sweat-free” clothing—made by union members—that can be sold on college campuses in the U.S. Also on hand were organizers from Honduras who worked with USAS activists to protect union members from government and corporate attacks.
“We respect the ILWU because you’re our predecessors in international solidarity and have always reached out to stand with workers in other countries,” said Teresa Cheng, USAS National Organizer. “We look forward to joining with you to support Rite Aid workers in Lancaster, Ohio, New Jersey and wherever workers are fighting for their rights.”