I have been on this listbot for months and this is my first message. I have read all of yours and I hope you take the time to read this one.
I am a casual like Ryan and Russell, but do not share their opinions. I have over 900 hours and hope that I will get a letter in the mail in a few months. I have made a lot of financial sacrifices as many of you before me have. I know that one day it will be worth it. I will appreciate it more because of my sufferings. I will not think of myself first and become one of the greedy. If we do, than what will the future of the I.L.W.U. become. Before I became a casual, I thought that when I got in I would DOUBLE-BACK. Now that I have been down there for almost two years, I can tell you I won’t.
When I became a casual, there was only one thousand of us, now there are four thousand casuals for LA/LB! We used to get three days almost every week. This year we were lucky to get one day for every couple of weeks until July. Why? It is simple. Because of the double-back. Since it has stopped until the vote, we are getting two days a week. After a contract is signed, we will go back to a day every ten or twelve. I don’t blame the brother or sister that doubles to take an extra day off, but the ones who work 10-12 shifts a week. Get a life! These are the people that abuse the system. I have yet to hear from guys. I am still waiting to hear your defense of your greed. That much work can give the union another registered member, paying union dues. That work would give the union one more vote and one more voice. The union might be able to hire a lawyer who’s specialty is labor contracts so the I.L.W.U. can get the correct language put in it. Maybe the union can hire a financial advisor for free advice to it’s members.
Advice to casuals. “When you get in, don’t go and buy a boat, jet skis, and forty-thousand dollar truck with a seven or eight hundred dollar a month payment.” You may have to double-back just to pay your bills. You might want to try and save a little money. Haven’t they been telling everyone that all year? How many people listened? How many people are ready to go on strike? The contract is not signed yet.
I can not speak for every casual, but I assume the majority wants this contract to be approved. If it is, perhaps a good number of members will retire. That may mean that some of us will be hired, right. I think it needs a little more work on the language, myself.
Right now support by those of you who vote seems mixed. I have heard that there is no way this contract will pass. If that is true, than how did the last one pass? The actions taken by the rank and file, because they were unhappy with the last contract, have been used against them during negotiations. It was in all the papers if you didn’t see it. 150 slowdowns hurt productivity, which in turn the P.M.A. used against us. If this is not a good contract, than everybody must vote no. If we are not all together, division will be short to follow. If it is not a good contract, then we must go back and negotiate till we get a good one. Nobody is going to want to hear us complain if we are unhappy about a contract that the majority accept. We don’t need the newspapers saying the average longshoreman makes 99k+ a year, who just received a raise is unhappy. The public will not feel sorry for you.
We need to learn from our mistakes. We need to not fight among ourselves. What is the true meaning of union. It is together and that is where we have to be A-men, I.D.s, casuals, men and women.
These are just my opinions, if you don’t agree maybe you can change them. I am listening.
P.S. Russell, how do think that the double-back is going to help you in reaching your 70%? I don’t think it works that way. Seventy percent on days is seventy percent on days. It is the same at night.
Rich NN4008
