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9/15BAWDN Forum On ILWU,Bush & Gov Intervention
On Sunday Sep 15 at 3:00PM there will be a forum on the ILWU Contract Strunggle, Bush & The Fight Against Government Intervention
Bay Area Workers Democracy Network Forum
The ILWU Contract Struggle, Bush
& The Fight Against Government Intervention
Speakers:
Jack Heyman, BA ILWU Local 10*
Carolyn Lund, Trustee NUMI-UAW 2244*
Ray Quan, VP BART SEIU Local 790 Chapter*
Carl Bryant, TV 214 Producer*
*For Information Only
Sunday September 15, 2002 3:00PM
390 27th St./Broadway St. Oakland
$5.00 Donation (No one turned away from lack of funds)
The open threat by the Bush government to use troops to break any strike or work action by the ILWU is a threat to all of labor. The ILWU is the most democratic militant trade union in the country and the Bush government is seeking to bust this union with direct government action. One reason the ILWU is a target, is that the ILWU has a long tradition of taking international solidarity action against apartheid in South Africa and against repression of workers rights from El Salvador to the docks of Liverpool. It has also taken action on the job to support the struggle of Mumia Abu-Jamal against his racist frame-up.
The Bush drive for war is part and parcel of this union busting plan. Bush and the politicians are seeking to implement the "Maritime Security Act" that would allow the purging of militant and left members of the ILWU as well as any longshoremen who has been convicted of a felony. This open union busting maneuver is linked to his "Homeland Security Office" that would eliminate the right of 170,000 government workers to have any union protections and civil rights on the job.
The forum will also discuss the conflict between the ILWU and other port workers and how this can be overcome. Finally, we will discuss the need to build a democratic trade union movement that takes action on the shop floor and streets to defend our unions and all working people here and around the world.
The Bay Area Workers Democracy Network (BAWDN) was formed to fight for democratic rights for all working people. It defends workers on the job and in their fight for a democratic trade union movement with one person one vote and against "business unionism". It supports independent workers politics and for solidarity of all working people throughout the world. It meets monthly and organizes actions and forums on issues facing workers. Contact us for further information and to get on our email list.
BAWDN
united [at] labornet.org sfactive [at] earthlink.net
SOLIDARITY HAS NO BORDERS!
The ILWU Contract Struggle, Bush
& The Fight Against Government Intervention
Speakers:
Jack Heyman, BA ILWU Local 10*
Carolyn Lund, Trustee NUMI-UAW 2244*
Ray Quan, VP BART SEIU Local 790 Chapter*
Carl Bryant, TV 214 Producer*
*For Information Only
Sunday September 15, 2002 3:00PM
390 27th St./Broadway St. Oakland
$5.00 Donation (No one turned away from lack of funds)
The open threat by the Bush government to use troops to break any strike or work action by the ILWU is a threat to all of labor. The ILWU is the most democratic militant trade union in the country and the Bush government is seeking to bust this union with direct government action. One reason the ILWU is a target, is that the ILWU has a long tradition of taking international solidarity action against apartheid in South Africa and against repression of workers rights from El Salvador to the docks of Liverpool. It has also taken action on the job to support the struggle of Mumia Abu-Jamal against his racist frame-up.
The Bush drive for war is part and parcel of this union busting plan. Bush and the politicians are seeking to implement the "Maritime Security Act" that would allow the purging of militant and left members of the ILWU as well as any longshoremen who has been convicted of a felony. This open union busting maneuver is linked to his "Homeland Security Office" that would eliminate the right of 170,000 government workers to have any union protections and civil rights on the job.
The forum will also discuss the conflict between the ILWU and other port workers and how this can be overcome. Finally, we will discuss the need to build a democratic trade union movement that takes action on the shop floor and streets to defend our unions and all working people here and around the world.
The Bay Area Workers Democracy Network (BAWDN) was formed to fight for democratic rights for all working people. It defends workers on the job and in their fight for a democratic trade union movement with one person one vote and against "business unionism". It supports independent workers politics and for solidarity of all working people throughout the world. It meets monthly and organizes actions and forums on issues facing workers. Contact us for further information and to get on our email list.
BAWDN
united [at] labornet.org sfactive [at] earthlink.net
SOLIDARITY HAS NO BORDERS!
Add Your Comments
Comments
(Hide Comments)
It it is good that the BAWDN is holding this forum. However, we have always noted that union democracy is directly connected with the question of whether the leadership is able to show a way forward for the membership. If not (as at the present) then they discourage free debate and discussion. Now, Brother Zeltser is falling victim to this exact same process.
Not so long ago, Richard Mellor first started raising criticisms of the approach of the ILWU leadership. He pointed out that their approach did not differ with that of the rest of the leadership of the AFL-CIO. This included relying on labor's alleged friends in politics. It included granting concessions. It included refusing to prepare to openly defy the anti labor laws, courts, etc.
Richard was sharply criticized at first by Steve Zeltser. Then Steve offered Richard to publicly debate the issue. Richard accepted and Steve was to follow it up. He failed to do so. Now, Steve and the BAWDN is hosting a public forum o n the ILWU struggle and Richard, who has been involved in the Longshore issue is not invited as one of the panelists.
Why is this? What has changed?
We have had a bit of debate in the Portworkers Solidarity Committee meetings. Richard and others (myself included) have pointed out the failures of the approach of the union leadership over the last 20 years. This approach has brought us a string of defeated strikes and concessinoary contracts. Already, if a contract is signed tomorrow (which is almost ruled out) it will almost certainly contain major concessions on the part of the ILWU leadership. Already, it is clear that the ILWU leadership is following the same path as that of the rest of the AFL-CIO leadership.
Steve has mightily defended this leadership and one of its representatives, Brother Jack Heyman, a long-time activist and opponent of capitalism. It is interesting to note that we have had reports (from ILWU members in Seattle) that pressure has been brought to bear on Brother Heyman not to speak up, not to openly criticize the rest of the ILWU leadership in public. Unfortunately, Brother Heyman has succumbed to this pressure. Also unfortunately, Steve Zeltser has refused to criticize this undemocratic deal.
Whatever is done, however, the issues still remain. The ILWU leadership should:
# withdraw all the concessions on jobs etc that they have
agreed to so far in negotiations.
#put the issue of a shorter working week with no loss in pay
and the hiring of more workers at the center of their struggle.
#withdraw from all negotiations until the government
withdraws its threat to use the troops to do their jobs.
#call a one day general strike and day of action around
their demands and the demand that the government and the employers lift their
threats.
# The day of action component would involve sending the ILWU membership to
other workplaces to speak to the workers there and explain their case and to
call on them to attend the ILWU rallies later in the day. Part of this should
also be asking these workers to set up solidarity committees in their
workplaces and neighbourhoods and to rasie within their own unions if they
have one, and in their workplace if they have not, that full support must be
given to the ILWU.
#publicly call on the AFL-CIO to call meetings of all their local organizations, especially
their 40,000 locals, to in turn organize meetings in every workplace to
explain the situation with the ILWU, to explain the failures of the policies
of the past two decades and to prepare these workers for a general strike the
moment the troops are sent in and for this strike to last until the troops
would be pulled out. In the likely event that the AFL-CIO leadership refuses to do so, the ILWU leadership should organize its members to organize such meetings through their own union.
We will be most intersted in seeing how those who claim to so strongly believe in democracy respond to these ooints. This includes both an explanation of why nobody who advocates the above was put on this panel and also why Steve and others with him oppose the above.
(Those wishing to see our full statement should go to our website: LaborsMilitantVoice.com)
Not so long ago, Richard Mellor first started raising criticisms of the approach of the ILWU leadership. He pointed out that their approach did not differ with that of the rest of the leadership of the AFL-CIO. This included relying on labor's alleged friends in politics. It included granting concessions. It included refusing to prepare to openly defy the anti labor laws, courts, etc.
Richard was sharply criticized at first by Steve Zeltser. Then Steve offered Richard to publicly debate the issue. Richard accepted and Steve was to follow it up. He failed to do so. Now, Steve and the BAWDN is hosting a public forum o n the ILWU struggle and Richard, who has been involved in the Longshore issue is not invited as one of the panelists.
Why is this? What has changed?
We have had a bit of debate in the Portworkers Solidarity Committee meetings. Richard and others (myself included) have pointed out the failures of the approach of the union leadership over the last 20 years. This approach has brought us a string of defeated strikes and concessinoary contracts. Already, if a contract is signed tomorrow (which is almost ruled out) it will almost certainly contain major concessions on the part of the ILWU leadership. Already, it is clear that the ILWU leadership is following the same path as that of the rest of the AFL-CIO leadership.
Steve has mightily defended this leadership and one of its representatives, Brother Jack Heyman, a long-time activist and opponent of capitalism. It is interesting to note that we have had reports (from ILWU members in Seattle) that pressure has been brought to bear on Brother Heyman not to speak up, not to openly criticize the rest of the ILWU leadership in public. Unfortunately, Brother Heyman has succumbed to this pressure. Also unfortunately, Steve Zeltser has refused to criticize this undemocratic deal.
Whatever is done, however, the issues still remain. The ILWU leadership should:
# withdraw all the concessions on jobs etc that they have
agreed to so far in negotiations.
#put the issue of a shorter working week with no loss in pay
and the hiring of more workers at the center of their struggle.
#withdraw from all negotiations until the government
withdraws its threat to use the troops to do their jobs.
#call a one day general strike and day of action around
their demands and the demand that the government and the employers lift their
threats.
# The day of action component would involve sending the ILWU membership to
other workplaces to speak to the workers there and explain their case and to
call on them to attend the ILWU rallies later in the day. Part of this should
also be asking these workers to set up solidarity committees in their
workplaces and neighbourhoods and to rasie within their own unions if they
have one, and in their workplace if they have not, that full support must be
given to the ILWU.
#publicly call on the AFL-CIO to call meetings of all their local organizations, especially
their 40,000 locals, to in turn organize meetings in every workplace to
explain the situation with the ILWU, to explain the failures of the policies
of the past two decades and to prepare these workers for a general strike the
moment the troops are sent in and for this strike to last until the troops
would be pulled out. In the likely event that the AFL-CIO leadership refuses to do so, the ILWU leadership should organize its members to organize such meetings through their own union.
We will be most intersted in seeing how those who claim to so strongly believe in democracy respond to these ooints. This includes both an explanation of why nobody who advocates the above was put on this panel and also why Steve and others with him oppose the above.
(Those wishing to see our full statement should go to our website: LaborsMilitantVoice.com)
For more information:
http://laborsmilitantvoice.com
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