Right on Target,
I am convinced the rank and file of our union like the general citizens of this country are, with out question, opposed to human rights abuses everywhere. It is normal to overlook the dirt in our own homes and abuses in our own country when looking to criticize others. It is almost automatic to overlook our own faults, when others are different in politics and culture from us. We must guard against it.
We in the ILWU are not just in favor of ending labor abuses world wide but also ending labor abuses at home, we are dedicated to taking action and when necessary making the sacrifices necessary to end them.
There is no evidence that policies to hold sanctions against countries like China will end labor abuse. There is abundant evidence that providing opportunity creates positive changes. When something doesn’t work, it is time to quit doing it and try another approach.
Brian McWilliams was exactly right when prior to our convention in Portland he said the ILWU might not go along with the AFL-CIO on the China trade issue. That does not mean the AFL-CIO is bad or that those who criticized McWilliams for saying what turned out to later be true, which he has done so many times before, are bad. It only means there are different views as to how to proceed.
What is of extreme importance to an organization like the ILWU, who’s members cherish the freedom and democracy we enjoy is that although “subjects may come up upon which we may differ, we recognize the same honesty and purpose in others which we claim for ourselves. ”
Long live the ILWU
Art
