Arney Williams, ILWU Local 23 (Tacoma, Washington)

Arney Williams is a longshoreman from Tacoma, Washington. He stopped off in Liverpool for the mass meeting on 5 June and told dockers they could "set a precedent for the whole world, because privatisation is going on everywhere".

Arney found out about the dispute when he bought a computer for Christmas and his friend and colleague Gerry Collen showed him LabourNet.

Arney Williams
(ILWU Local 23, Tacoma)
in Liverpool
with sacked dockers
Ronnie Bibby,
Val Bibby (WoW),
and Bobby Morton.
photo: Greg Dropkin

"I started to play around with it and kept track of Liverpool. I’ve been concerned since then.

"Everyone in Local 23 is willing to help in any way we can. On 20 January the 8 hour shutdown was fully supported, because people believe that Liverpool dockers have been treated unfairly.

"Sue Mitchell and Collette Melia came to our local. It began as a normal meeting. But when they got up to speak, people really stopped whatever they were doing and listened. It made a big impression on us all. We need more people like them to go to other dockers’ unions.

"Longshoremen throughout the world need education about the dispute, and there should be more information about it. In fact, longshoremen and dockers should be getting together to understand the facts and figures for similar employers. Without the information, we can’t act.

"I think we need an international conference involving everyone in the industry, and we should examine the possibility of forming one international longshore union. That way, we could take back some of the power from the companies.

"At the very least, we need good communications between existing unions to share information on disputes and company demands, in order to resolve the balance of power."

"Liverpool can set a precedent, showing employers that we don’t cross picket lines and we don’t want scabs taking our jobs. That’s the way we can protect our jobs."

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