233 to 202 and 51 to 49. What do these numbers mean? They stand for the number of Democratic versus Republican Congressional representatives and the number of Democratic versus Republican Senators sworn into office Jan. 4, 2007. They stand for a political shift of power from the Republicandominated Congress that was held since 2002 in the Senate and 1994 in the House.

A tough road for labor 
Working class women and men obviously have had their fill of being run by corporate power, with no help coming to the organized and unorganized workers of America. We must understand that it will still be a tough road for labor, but with this shift we will have the ear of people who can help change laws to make it easier to organize the unorganized, such as the Employee Free Choice Act. This bill will allow a majority of workers to simply sign cards saying they want to join a union and get it without having to go through lengthy and bureaucratic hearings and filings with the labor board. It will also require the employer to negotiate a first contract with a mediation and binding arbitration process when the employer and workers cannot agree on a first contract.

We may also get Congress to give the issue of universal, singlepayer health care a real chance, something that has been ILWU policy for several decades. Rep. John Conyers (D-MI) has a bill before Congress (HR 676) that will come before Congress that will extend an improved Medicare-type coverage to all U.S. residents. Conyers has nearly 80 co-sponsors for the bill in the House and it has been endorsed by 17 state AFL-CIO federations, 54 central labor councils and numerous International and local unions, including the ILWU.

We may also get a chance to reverse one of the worse decisions by the Bush administration’s National Labor Relations Board. Last year the board re-interpreted language in the National Labor Relations Act, expanding the definition of who is a “supervisor” and eliminating their right to be in a union (the Kentucky River decision). Under this ruling millions of workers could have their union contracts torn up and their union protections eliminated. As we write, House Democrats are preparing a bill that will amend the NLRA’s language so it defines “supervisor” more precisely and in the way it was originally meant.

What will happen? 
The future will be very interesting to watch. What will happen with the war in Iraq? What will the future hold for the war against terrorism? Will issues of port security be resolved and how? Will the federal government, recognizing the need for improved transportation infrastructure, especially for goods movement, find the will and way to fund it?

These are but a few of the enormous problems that face our government today. It will be tough to solve these problems. But with the new historical event, electing Nancy Pelosi as Speaker of the House, the first woman ever to be elected to this powerful position in our government, we will certainly make progress on them.

Just so you know, Pelosi’s history goes back to the days of our second president of the ILWU, Jimmy Herman. She approached the ILWU when she was considering running for Congress, seeking our union’s endorsement. Jimmy Herman said, “Absolutely, yes!” She was elected in 1988 to the late Sala Burton’s seat representing San Francisco. Herman even assigned then-Northern California Regional Director LeRoy King to work for Pelosi and he became cochair of her first Congressional campaign. The ILWU congratulates her on her new position and gives its full support for her in the future.

All of the history-making votes didn’t just happen. It was a lot of work for District Councils and individuals getting word out to people, going door-to-door, phone banking after work and volunteering during the day. Hard work was put forward along with a lot of money. Yes, money! It costs to elect people to represent us in these powerful positions.

And we cannot sit back and rest—2008 is just around the corner. The election for a new President will be here before we know it. So we must build our Political Action Fund (PAF) to be able to contribute to political campaigns to elect people who will look out for the working class of America.

Everyone needs to donate. We are bound by a lot of laws that restrict how funds are accumulated. But the best way is to write a check to:

ILWU Political Action Fund 1188 Franklin Street Fourth Fl. San Francisco, CA 94109

It will be used as in the past to elect people of our choice who support labor. The goal is to raise $1 million dollars. We were successful in raising three-quarters of a million dollars for the 2004 and 2006 election cycles. In 2006 we donated to 62 candidates and 53 of those won. I’m asking each of you to send in $5, $10 or $100—whatever you can. Every dollar counts.

Wal-Mart, which represents global corporate interests, bragged that it donated a million dollars in the last election. Let’s beat Wal-Mart and raise one million and one dollars. An injury to one is an injury to all. ◆