SAN FRANCISCO—ILWU and West Coast longshore employers reached a tentative agreement on technology on November 1, 2002, thus removing a major roadblock in negotiations for a new contract. The union had bottom line concerns about jurisdiction and the employers met those concerns. This is a major victory for the union and the first real progress made in these negotiations. Under an agreement with the federal mediator, details of the technology package will not be released until the entire contract package has been negotiated. Connected to that technology agreement is the issue of pension plans. The ILWU negotiating committee will now begin bargaining on the pension package as work continues on securing a fair contract for all ILWU members.

Union responds to Bush/PMA attacks

As mandated by the Department of Justice, the ILWU filed a written response to PMA claims of slowdowns. The union response notes that the Department of Justice has shown favoritism to the PMA, and has given far too much credence to the PMA’s wholly unsubstantiated slowdown claims. The issue is whether the ILWU has violated the preliminary injunction of the Federal Court requiring workers to return to work under the old contract. On this central issue, the PMA presents absolutely no evidence.

The ILWU briefed reporters in order to disseminate the message that the PMA and Bush Administration are colluding to find a way to blame the ILWU for the problems that were created by the PMA. That message appeared in media accounts up and down the Coast. The Department of Justice now has the information it has requested, and will make a decision in the near future on how to proceed with the PMA complaint. The agency’s claim of impartiality will be tested as it considers how to move on these poorly documented claims by the PMA.

ILWU seeks details of Bush/Employer collusion

In a letter sent to Attorney General John Ashcroft, the ILWU called on the Department of Justice to conduct a full investigation into the apparent collusion between the Bush Administration, shipping companies and associations during the West Coast ports contract dispute. In particular, the ILWU asked the Department of Justice to release the names of individuals who attended secret meetings with the Administration regarding the PMA’s dispute with the union.

Monitoring port safety

The ILWU is focusing heavily on port safety. The following is the message the union sent to all major ports regarding the purpose of port safety oversight efforts:

“The vitality of our cities’ ports is of great importance to our community. As community leaders, we want to ensure that the conditions on our docks lead to a safe and productive working environment. We have assembled a unique group of individuals from the safety and health experts, economists, academics, industry experts, and religious and political leaders to help monitor the situation on the docks and report back to the public. In the coming weeks, we will be examining such critical issues as safety and health, the state of technology in the industry, port congestion. We will also conduct site visits to observe first-hand what is happening at our docks. As community leaders, we are committed to doing all we can to make our ports safe and efficient so that goods can get to consumers across our country.”

Labor movement supports ILWU struggle

Richard Trumka, SecretaryTreasurer of the AFL-CIO, addressed 2,000 Los Angeles-area ILWU members earlier this month to drive home the message that members must elevate the struggle and stay strong in the face of assaults by the PMA and the Bush Administration. At the meeting, Trumka and ILWU International President James Spinosa updated members on the latest developments and outlined the strategy the union is pursuing to secure a good contract. Trumka, a veteran of many crucial labor fights, has joined the ILWU negotiating team in meetings with federal mediators and the PMA, and continues to speak passionately in support of the ILWU at every opportunity. Trumka and the AFL-CIO have shown a serious commitment to the ILWU’s struggle.

Protect U.S. Senate from anti-labor Republicans

The ILWU has sent more than 30 of our members to five key states to help the AFL-CIO in its efforts to keep control of the U.S. Senate in the hands of Democrats. A Republican takeover could seriously jeopardize the future of the ILWU and the national labor movement in general. ILWU members are spending the final two weeks of the campaign in the trenches in those battleground states to ensure that the voice of ILWU working people is heard throughout the nation. These committed ILWU members will return after the November 5 election with memorable experiences to share, and a wealth of new connections with others on the forefront of the national labor movement.

Web site updated daily

 It is extremely important that ILWU members stay up to date on the important developments in the ongoing campaign to secure a fair contract for members. This is why ILWU members are urged to check the web site frequently. The site is updated on a daily basis with the latest details on the status of the bargaining campaign. Please go to www.ilwu.org on a regular basis for the latest news.

Dockworkers and technology

Dockworkers have a long tradition of a cooperative approach with management on technology issues. They’ve accepted technology as long as the employer accepted that however the basic dock work was done, it would be done by union members—and this practice has worked for everyone for 40 years, until the employer decided it didn’t want to hold up its end of the bargain. —continued on page 3