Dear Brothers and Sisters,
Attached, and below in text for those unable to download the attachment, is a press release issued today by IBU National President David Freiboth on the death of an IBU waterfront worker in Seattle. Brother Freiboth can be reached on-line at:
Given the pathetic record of the Mayor and City Council, you might want to let them know your feelings. You can reach them at:
Mayors.Office@ci.seattle.wa.us
jim.compton@ci.seattle.wa.us
richard.conlin@ci.seattle.wa.us
jan.drago@ci.seattle.wa.us
nick.lacata@ci.seattle.wa.us
richard.mciver@ci.seattle.wa.us
judy.nicastro@ci.seattle.wa.us
margaret.pageler@ci.seattle.wa.us
peter.steinbrueck@ci.seattle.wa.us
heidi.wills@ci.seattle.wa.us
For those who don’t live in Seattle and may have forgotten, this is the same Mayor - Paul Schell - who was responsible for WTO. And he was elected with labor support.
In solidarity,
Paul Bigman
ILWU International Organizer
Inlandboatmen’s Union Of the Pacific Press Release
September 1,2000 Contact: David Freiboth
206-818-5222
Worker killed in industrial accident - Fire Department cannot effectively respond.
Rufus Martin, a long-time member of the Inlandboatmen’s Union of the Pacific (IBU), was killed in an industrial accident August 31,2000 while working at a Port of Seattle industrial site. He died when the machine he was operating toppled off the end of the barge he was working on into the Duwamish River.
Fire rescue units were on the scene within minutes, but were unable to respond effectively due to a year-old dispute between the firefighters union and the police guild over diver jurisdiction. Unable to respond with scuba gear, divers courageously dove without gear the 30 plus feet to brother Martin. They had him on a stretcher and were administering CPR when police divers arrived.
In February of this year, another IBU member, Don Clovis, was trapped in a docking structure after an accident. There, too, fire rescue units, denied proper rescue gear, franticly tried to rescue the doomed worker. Clovis died in the accident.
“We were upset and bewildered that the jurisdictional dispute between the fire fighters and the police guild caused the delays in the Clovis incident,” said IBU President David Freiboth. “Now we are outraged that seven months later this issue has not been resolved. A rescue delay may have contributed to the death of another IBU member.”
“After the Clovis incident,” Freiboth explained, “we demanded immediate resolution of the problem, but tried to stay out of the jurisdictional dispute between two other unions. Now another IBU member has died. We insist that the fire fighters be properly equipped, and will do whatever it takes to see that this happens.”
“In an announcement released today, Mayor Schell has finally granted the fire fighters provisional use of the scuba gear that they need to carry out their jobs,” Freiboth added. “While we welcome this long overdue development, it is clear that the Mayor could have taken this action long ago, possibly preventing the deaths of both waterfront workers and others.”
Freiboth added that the IBU will raise these concerns with the King County Labor Council next week. Freiboth represents the Martime Trades on the Executive Board of the Labor Council. He indicated that the IBU will also discuss possible actions with longshore members of the International Longshore & Warehouse Union (ILWU). The IBU is the Marine Division of the ILWU, and Freiboth is a member of the ILWU International Executive Board.
“Both the City and the Port of Seattle have a responsibility for maintaining safe working conditions,” charged Freiboth. “They have not met that responsibility. We intend to make sure that they do.”
