Ten days after taking office, President Barack Obama signed three executive orders that recognize a strong labor movement is part of the solution to our economic problems. Obama reversed some of the anti-union policies made by George W. Bush. A fourth executive order creates a White House Task Force for the Middle Class.

Your union contract is a written agreement with your employer. It defines your wages, benefits, conditions of employment, and rights on the job. It is enforceable through a grievance procedure and ultimately in a court of law.

Most union contracts are renegotiated every three years, although some contracts run for only one year and others run for as long as six years. How long the contract runs is up to you and your negotiating committee. The ILWU is a democratic union and members are involved in every step of the negotiation process.