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The Charleston 5:
The Fight for Justice in South Carolina
Who
are the Charleston 5?
"Five dockworkers who are members of International
Longshoremen's Association Locals 1422 and 1771 face criminal charges
for attempting to defend their jobs. all five -- Kenneth Johnson, Peter
Washington, Ricky Simmons, Jason Edgerton, and Elijah Ford -- are
victims of selective prosecution by South Carolina Attorney General
Charlie Condon, a candidate for governor, who is using race and
anti-labor sentiment to attack one of the most visible and active unions
in South Carolina while furthering his political ambitions. Four of the
dockworkers are members of ILA Local 1422, which is virtually
all-black."
AFL-CIO
Executive Council
Why
is Local 1422 being targeted?
"Local 1422 is a key element of South Carolina's progressive
community. It is one of the largest and most powerful Union locals in
the State with the nation's lowest rate of unionization -- only 3.8% of
South Carolina workers have union representation. The Local 1422 hall is
the meeting place for a broad range of community groups, including the
NAACP and the Democratic Party. State troopers attacked the longshore
workers only days after the historic march on Dr. Martin Luther King's
Birthday, at which 47,000 people demanded that the Confederate battle
flag be taken down from the South Carolina State Capitol. Local 1422 is
a largely African-American local, a very important segment of the
Charleston community. It is significant that they are under attack
because they are living proof that unionization is the best anti-poverty
program ever created... These longshore jobs are the only jobs in South
Carolina where a Black can really move from below poverty to a middle
class standard of living in a short time if he comes out and applies
himself... Our problems began when we started getting involved in state
politics."
Ken Riley,
President, ILA Local 1422
Why
are they facing criminal charges?
"The prosecution of the union workers, known as the Charleston
5, stems from an incident that occurred on January 20, 2000, when
approximately 150 members of Local 1422 carried out a legal
informational picket at the Port of Charleston to protest the use of a
non-union stevedoring company to unload a Danish freighter. An encounter
with 600 riot police during the picketing ended in a clash where the
policemen clubbed Local 1422 President Ken Riley on the head while he
attempted to restore order. eight of the dockworkers received mainly
misdemeanor trespass charges from local Charleston law enforcement
authorities in connection with the incident. But Attorney General
Condon, who has demonstrated his hostility to unions on numerous
occasions, intervened and raised the charges to rioting and conspiracy
to riot, which are felonies and carry prison sentences. A Charleston
judge dismissed these charges for lack of evidence in a preliminary
hearing. Nevertheless, Condon sought felony indictments against the men
through a secret grand jury in Charleston. although it is implausible
that these unarmed union members planned to riot against 600 heavily
armed police officers in full riot gear, five of the dockworkers were
indicted."
AFL-CIO
Executive Council
The
prosecutor: Condon on the NAACP
"We both need to send a strong signal the to the NAACP
agitators that it's quitting time. Working together, we can slam the
door shut on the NAACP's incessant demands and stop its insatiable
appetite for agitation."
South Carolina
Attorney General Charlie Condon
to Gov. Jim Hodges on keeping the confederate flag flying in South
Carolina
The
prosecutor: Condon on labor
South Carolina Governor Jim Hodges nominated Ken Riley to serve on
the South Carolina State Port Commission. Republicans in the State House
of representatives introduced a bill which would prohibit any Union
member from sitting on any State commission. Condon stressed the need to
pass a bill so that "the right-to-work foundation of our
pro-business climate is never again compromised by union politics."
South Carolina
Attorney General Charlie Condon
to South Carolina Lieutenant Governor Harvey Peeler
The
Current status
Never convicted of any offence, the Charleston Five have been under
house arrest for over a year-and-a-half. they can't leave their homes
between 7:00 pm and 7:00 am except to to work and to union meetings. It
now looks as though they will go to trial in mid to late October 2001,
perhaps in early November. In addition, "the stevedoring company
that hired the scabs is suing the two Charleston locals, their
presidents and 27 members for $1.5 million in alleged losses because of
the picket line and disrupting work. The suit raises the issue of
whether workers can be held financially responsible for industrial
actions, and raises the specter of bankruptcy for the locals and these
individual workers and their families."
The Dispatcher,
newspaper of the International Longshore Warehouse Union ILWU
The
Charleston 5 and Globalism
a NAFTA, GATT, WTO and the FTAA have increased awareness of global
capital, South Carolina workers were in a battle with a Danish shipping
company, Nordana. The union regained the work when Spanish Dockers
refused to unload Nordana ships. In part because of their contract with
workers throughout the world, dockworkers have historically played a key
role in combating global oppression. On the West Coast of the USA, the
ILWU has refused to service vessels from Nazi Germany and apartheid
South Africa; shut down the ports to protest the WTO; and, most recently
refused to unload toxic wastes at the Port of Seattle.
International
Solidarity
"Dockers and
maritime workers have called for an International Day of Action in
support of the Charleston Five on the day the trial begins. They are
asking that everyone who supports worker's rights, everyone who opposes
racism, everyone who stands against global attacks on labor and
environmental protections join in the actions. "The violation of
workers' rights here in South Carolina is of importance to every
longshoreman, wherever he or she is. I can assure you that if the
charges have not been dropped and if the Charleston Five are not set
free, that day will not go unnoticed in ports around the world."
Bjorn Borg,
President, Swedish Dockworkers Union
on behalf of the International Dockworkers Council
The
importance of the case
"At risk in this trial are the inalienable rights of every
American to speak freely without fear of government censure, the right
to form or join a union, and the right to participate in an open and
democratic political process. These rights are at the core of our free
society, and the American labor and civil rights movements will not rest
until justice is served and the Charleston Five are set free."
John Sweeney,
President, AFL-CIO and
Julian Bond, Chairman of the Board, NAACP
What
can you do to help
Legal bills for the longshore workers and their locals are already
over $350,000. Join us with a financial contribution, by helping to
mobilize for the International Day of Action, by becoming active in the
Defense Committee or by inviting a speaker to your Union, Church or
Community Organization.
labor donated
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