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ILA Joins with ILWU and
Teamsters In Agreement to Protect Union Jobs At America's Ports
ILA Joins
with ILWU and Teamsters In Agreement to Protect Union Jobs At America's
Ports
LAS VEGAS, NV.
(June 28, 2001) - ILA President John Bowers told thousands of
cheering Teamsters delegates here at their union's International
Convention in Las Vegas that his union, along with the West Coast
Longshore Union, would join with the Teamsters on a unity organizing
campaign to "deliver a powerful message that anything that moves in
and out of our ports will be done 100 percent union." The leaders
of the three unions- Mr. Bowers of the ILA; James Spinoza, President of
the International Longshore Workers Union (ILWU) and James Hoffa,
President of the Teamsters - addressed Teamster Convention delegates on
their joint organizing campaign to unionize Port Drivers throughout
North America and to protect each other's jurisdiction to ensure that
North America's ports are "wall-to-wall union."
After ILA President Bowers declared the his union was "ready to
forge this new partnership with the Teamsters and ILWU to achieve a
bright and prosperous future for our respective membership" and the
three International Presidents stood at center stage in the packed
convention hall with raised hands joined together, a resolution
supporting Teamster efforts to organize port drivers was approved by
delegates.
Each union pledged to honor and respect each other's jurisdiction.
Teamster delegates loudly applauded Mr. Bowers when he also told them
that the ILA joined the Teamsters in fighting expansion of the North
American Free Trade Agreement which will allow unsafe Mexican trucks and
poorly paid and unrepresented Mexican truckers to operate freely in the
U.S., in direct competition with Teamsters.
"The ILA will not handle these unsafe trucks at any piers we
work," Mr. Bowers declared to the supportive audience.
The ILA leader also thanked the Teamsters for their ongoing support of
the ILA's Charleston Five. He thanked Teamsters Port Director George
Cashman for attending and speaking at the rally in support of the
Charleston Five which was held on June 9 in Columbia, South Carolina.
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