On February 19, at the Northern California District Council meeting in San Francisco the following resolution was endorsed by all ILWU Division Locals: Local 6 (S. F. Warehouse), Local 10 (S. F. Longshore), Local 14 (Eureka longshore), Local 17 (Sacramento warehouse), Local18 (Sacramento longshore), Local 34( S. F. longshore clerks), Local 54 (Stockton longshore), Local 75 (S. F. Watchmen), Local 91 (Longshore Walking Bosses) and Inlandboatmen’s Union (S. F. ). Are other ILWU locals and maritime unions internationally willing to join the call to defend the Charleston longshore workers against this union-busting attack?
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 (IDC) 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.
