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.