Just discovered the ILWU information list, I think its great. Its a wonderful forum to be able to speak from our heart to vent our concerns about our union, to not be controlled by any one with a heavy gavel or by the flow of skillful golden tongue orators.
From debate comes changes, we will soon know who are the phonies or click member’s are. I have been a member of the ILWU some 45 years and before that my father was a member been very proud of the ILWU all these years its been a very honest union our officer’s have been the best, but lately I have seen some things that greatly concern me, and should concern us all, one of the policies that has made us a progress union has been our unity and solidarity.
The last few years I have witnessed our international officers and coast committee not talking to one another some times working against each other, this had changed some after elections a few years ago, and after the caucus performed a castration of sorts on Brian McWilliams this was done after he violated direction that was mandated to him by our international board and caucus. Shame on Brian, can not for the life of me understand how an officer of the ILWU could make an agreement with any employer without first discussing it with the rest of our officer’s and this was done and we want to sweep it under the door as if it never happened, can anyone have that much ego, or was it more than ego hope not, not a small item some say it could be worth millions to the employer. But I as a pensioner know its everything to me and my fellow pensioner’s.
One thing I have learned from all this is we pensioner’s may be retired from work but we are not retired from our union and one other thing thank god we have bright young men like jack mulcahy that are not afraid to step up and call a spade a spade to not be afraid of the fight, thank you jack mulcahy. We pensioner’s recognized a problem with our international officer’s three years ago and wrote to them an open letter in the dispatcher wish they had listened then, maybe after this election we will be able to function as a team once again.
In solidarity,
Ralph Souza
Pensioner
