The following motion was passed at the Local 10 membership meeting Feb. 17. Another motion to send $5,000 from Local 10 to the Dockworkers Defense Fund was also passed. A third motion was passed to send three Local 10 delegates to a Charleston longshoremen’s protest march Wednesday Feb. 23. Will other ILWU Locals join us in this important demonstration of union solidarity?
Whereas, ILA Local 1422 of Charleston, South Carolina has been waging a courageous fight to defend their union jurisdiction against a combined anti-labor force of a non-union company, Winyah Stevedoring, Nordana Shipping Lines and the state of South Carolina, and
Whereas, the state of South Carolina, with only 4% of its workers organized in unions, has sought to bust the longshore union there by amassing a 600-man police force to suppress their right to protest and by seeking Grand Jury action against longshore union members, and
Whereas the Charleston longshoremen have requested our support by participating in their protest actions and sending financial aid to fight this combined employer/government attack,
Therefore be it resolved that this Longshore Caucus support ILA Local 1422 by encouraging our Locals to participate in their protest marches, by encouraging longshore unions internationally through the International Transport Workers Federation (ITF) and the International Dockworkers Council to support this just struggle through actions in their ports and finally that this Longshore Caucus send $5,000 to Dockworkers Defense Fund for their legal expenses in this fight against union-busting.
