ILWU Celebrates May Day!
On May 1st, the opening day of the 31st International Convention of the
International Longshore And Warehouse Union (ILWU), hundreds of delegates took
over the streets of downtown Portland in a solidarity march with striking
workers at Powell's Books, one of the most profitable bookstores in the nation.
The May Day action, which took on the character of the Seattle WTO protest, was
held to support more than 400 members of ILWU Local 5 who went on strike at
11:30 a.m. that morning. Standing under a banner reading, "An Injury to One
Is an Injury to All," International President Brian McWilliams gave the
keynote address.
He focused on the need to "to shore up internal
resources" in order to meet the new challenges of globalization and bosses
"who are dressed up in new clothes but are still dancing to the old tune of
putting profits before people. "Now is the time to raise the stakes again
[like in the 1930s]", said McWilliams.
There can be "no business as
usual" so long as the transnationals and governments do not put workers and
their families first. In front of the entire convention and to a standing
ovation, the vice president of the Japanese dock workers Kenji Yasuada and
McWilliams signed an agreement that said in part that the two unions agree
"to enhance labor activities in the port and transport industries in the
United States and Japan in order to improve working conditions, union rights,
and the living standard and social welfare of union members and their
families."
Also addressing the Convention will be John Coombs, president of
the Maritime Union of Australia and Manuel Cordero Aguila, secretary general of
the National National Sugar Workers of Cuba.
In a moving presentation, Powell's strike leader and shop steward Mary Winzig
confessed that at first workers were afraid to show the union button at work.
"But look at us now," she said, "we closed the damn store. We are
on strike. I am proud to be in the ILWU ... Harry Bridges is on the picket
line!"
Addressing the Convention was new Congressman David Wu (D. Ore.) who told
delegates, "You will have a big say on who controls Congress, the White
House and the Supreme Court."
Hundreds of Portland youth who had organized their own peaceful celebration of
International Workers Day earlier were confronted by an army of riot geared
police who attacked them with batons and bean bag rounds.
Not allowing this to stop their celebration, the youth marched in the streets of
downtown Portland eventually joining the ILWU strike support action.
When the youth entered the ranks of hundreds of union men and women, ILWU
President McWilliams told the police that the union expected the officers to
respect the march. The police did just that, halting their attacks on the youth
and moving aside "The union was our safe house," grateful 21year-old
Elijah told the World. He was surrounded by smiling students who chanted loudly
"ILWU, ILWU!"
(Courtesy of the Peoples' Weekly World, 5/6/00.)
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