Last night at ILWU Local 10 (San Francisco) a rank-and-file committee was formed to defend the Charleston longshore workers. Our Charleston brothers, black and white together, face jail for successfully picketing a scab international shipping operation in their port last January. They were attacked by a riot-equipped force of 600 police mustered from all over South Carolina. There is an urgent need to organize defense committees on the West, East and Gulf Coasts, as well as internationally! The South Carolina anti-labor “show trial” is expected to be set this coming January.
Based on the May ILWU Longshore Caucus resolution, the defense committee called the Labor Committee In Defense of the Charleston Longshore Workers will be organizing in the Bay Area for an international day of action and helping to raise money for the legal defense. AFL-CIO President John Sweeney views this as a test for the labor movement in the so-called “right-to-work” South and is lending his support to the defense campaign. Participating in the defense committee meeting were members of Local 10, Local 54 (Stockton), Inlandboatmen’s Union (IBU) and Dispatcher editor, Steve Stallone who is coordinating the defense campaign for ILWU International President Jim Spinosa.
Our next meeting will be Tuesday December 12 at 7 PM in Local 10’s Henry Schmidt room. ILWU members are encouraged to attend and we appeal to other locals on the Coast to set up their own defense committees. If the Dixiecrats and Republicans in South Carolina want to victimize our longshore brothers, let’s protest with solidarity actions. AN INJURY TO ONE IS AN INJURY TO ALL!
For more information you can contact me by email.
In solidarity,
Jack Heyman
jhook@jps.net
