July 1, 1997

Dear Brother Morris

It is my understanding that your Biennial Delegate Conference will take place next week in Brighton. I am writing to urge you and your Conference to consider the current world wide support for the Liverpool Dockers. I am quite sure that you and your organization have underestimated the importance and the resolve of union members and their families throughout the world in support of those sacked Dockers.
You may remember that we had a problem in the United States with the Air Traffic Controllers when they went on strike. They struck in violation of federal law. They were replaced with scabs and most of them lost their jobs. The entire labor community was slow to react and there is a general consensus that we should have called a general strike of all labor at that time. After that incident, unions have been under direct attack in this country. Strikers can not be "fired" but they can be legally "replaced". This country has used its military and economic power to provide for capital to be used to control sovereign nations. Japan is facing the interference by the United States of collective bargaining agreements which provide for dock labor in Japan. American companies interfere under the guise of free trade. Actually they not only seek a world free of impediments to absolute free market access, they want access to ports and their own labor contracts without the interference of any government controls, foreign or domestic. Labor unions, tariffs and other laws are impediments to so called free trade. Freedom of capital to roam without any government's control is supported under the conditions set forth by the World Bank and enforced by the World Court. "The New World Order" puts capital ahead of people. Competition for trade should not exclude conditions for the labor required or the welfare of the consumer. Labor unions around the world are joining together to fight this assault on the working class. Deregulation is the limiting of government and therefore the people's control over their fair share in commerce. Privatization is the turning over of the infrastructure from those who hold it for the benefit of the masses to the benefit of the capital class. The people around the world built the docks with tax dollars and supported trade. Now, since capitalism is controlling markets and dollars are the only measure of progress, public assets stand in the way. How can capital profit if things are public? How can capital control if the people do?
When privatization prevails, the public assets are capitalized and under our tax structure they are able to write off costs, real or not, against income. That is how privatization allows the capitalist to get their investment back because no taxes will be paid until the asset is written off as a cost of doing business. We get to pay for it twice - once in taxes to build the facilities and the next time because the private sector fails to pay taxes on its income. Then we will give economic development money when new capital is needed for maintenance or improvements, all of which will come from taxes again.
Casualization is the final blow to the working class. As a labor union, I guess this comes as no surprise. When unions are weak and governmental protections diminish we will lose all of the benefits we have fought for so long to achieve. The "shape up" will be back with the bosses picking and choosing their labor. This union struck in 1934 to eliminate this practice. I understand that as late as 1967 there was a "shape up" in Liverpool. The only opportunity we have is to all join together and do what we all know is the right and just thing to do to advance the working class in the world today. We must bind ourselves together for mutual aid and protection. We must pledge that an injury to one is an injury to all. The worst thing that can happen is that we turn away from fellow unionists who are in trouble. This only shows our weakness. We cannot let this happen. For whatever reasons, the Liverpool Dockers are under attack. The entire 500 Dock Workers were sacked. They decided, as a labor union, to resist conditions forced upon them by the bosses, and in this case even their own government. I just want you to know that that is enough reason for us to support them. No matter what problems the TGWU and the Liverpool Dockers face, they must overcome them for the sake of the workers and their families. We cannot allow this to continue.
Although I cannot speak for our International Union, I can assure you that the entire West Coast of the United States supports the Liverpool Dockers. This union has been active in two conferences in North America. We supported the Liverpool Dockers through resolutions during our International Convention in Hawaii. Many of our locals are collecting money on a regular basis for emergency relief of the families affected by the strike in Liverpool.
As you know there is apparently more support outside Great Britain than within it. We should all take a lesson from that support. We are not alone in our fight against the unabated interests of capital against the working class. The enite world community of Dock Workers understands what is happening. They are among the strongest unionists in he world. When they are weakened or defeated, as they have been in Mexico, there is devastation to workers, their families, and in the long run to their nations and sovereignty. Only Pakistan has thwarted Privatization and Casualization on their docks.
I urge you and your conference to take action in support of the Liverpool Dockers and therefore all Dockers and all who work for a living. This is a critical time and the suffering has gone on long enough. Even though we will be celebrating our independence from Britain this week, we will never be independent from the working class in Great Britain or anywhere in the world.
If and when it comes time for extended support for your next struggle, I can tell you that if I were you, I'd have a great deal of personal security knowing that the Liverpool Dockers were on my side. If I could personally join a battle, I'd be proud to join their ranks, even as the lowest private.

Victory to the Liverpool Dockers!

Sincerely and in Brotherhood

Donald R. Holzman
Secretary Treasurer/Business Agent
ILWU Local 40