Update on Monday 6/28 Truck Driver Strike

First of all, please understand that what I am going to tell you is confusing, because there are multiple sources of information, none of which agree completely

There is much confusion about what is happening on Monday in Oakland at 6 AM in coordination with the proposed Truckers' Wildcat strike. Some of the details of the discussion can be found on this web site: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/truckersunite/.

Essentially, the three "leaders" of the Oakland Truckers, Rubin Lopez, Delph Jean, and Irvinder Dhanda were slapped with an injunction which has been lifted, under the conditions that none of them will strike or picket for a period of one week.

It is also not clear how many west coast truckers will acvtually go on strike Monday, though apparently there will be widespread strike action on the *east* coast (apparently truckers in Baltimore have already thrown up a picket line at CSX protesting the firing of one independent trucker. Rank & File members of the BLE are honoring the picket line).

It is important to know that anything could happen in Oakland on Monday. There *will* be a picket, because the call went out to support the truckers--who have no singular organization (so everything is ad hoc)--and it is too late to call it off now. Please remember the following:

(1) The independent truckers are the ones who will decide if there is or is not a strike in the port of Oakland on Monday. The rest of us are there for *support and solidarity*. It is *not* our place to make decisions for the troqueros.

(2) If you have video equipment, tape recorders, and cameras, BRING THEM. Last year on April 7, police shot at peaceful demonstrators and longshoremen (many of whom who were just trying to go to work). Details of that incident are available here: http://www.defendilwuba.com. If the police get violent, we can document it and prove (once again) that peaceful demonstrators are *not* terrorists, in case the OPD haven't learned their lesson yet.

(3) Wear bright clothing, preferably red, organge, or yellow, and *BE SAFE* I have been run over by a truck--though it was an accident and it was not related to any demonstration--and the resulting pain is not somethingthat any of you want to experience. Remember that truckers may not be able to see you, and some of them do not know that there is a call for a strike.

(4) There is no organized car-pool planned to the port from BART, but if folks would like to organize one, please do. If you have a car, bring it, so we can shuttle people back & forth.

(5) The OPD may issue parking tickets to drivers if you park illegally. Be aware of that.


-----[Quoted Material]

From the Truckers Unite E Group:

----- Original Message -----
From: giffordh
To: truckersunite [at] yahoogroups.com
Sent: Saturday, June 26, 2004 10:19 PM
Subject: [truckersunite] Will be at APL gate, Port of Oakland 6 AM Monday

I agree with the brother who suggested we go down to the Port of
Oakland Monday morning regardless. On May 6 the port and PMA
representatives fooled the truckers in their meeting. Rumors of the
stoppage being called off seems to be in the same vein, divide and
conquer--especially with misinformation.

As Ernie has said, this is about class struggle that affects all
working people. So, me and my comrades will be there. I'll report
back what happens there as soon as I can. I expect to see the other
Bay Area folks on this list there too. Contact me privately by e-
mail if you want to try to coordinate our efforts.

Gifford


Subject: Re: [truckersunite] Will be at APL gate, Port of Oakland 6 AM Monday

Thanx for the solidarity! Just got a call from another progressive international organization that will be manning the picket lines as well. The workers up there are scared. They have been offered the old Porfirio Diaz "pan o palo" routine. "Either you accept our style of controlled one-sided Port sponsored collective bargaining or we will bury you with civil litigation and we know you can't even afford a lawyer!!!!!" Instead of ruining working class peoples' lives with attorney fees and court cost in an attempt to chill the labor movement the Port of Oakland should be going after the real "EVILDOERS", the true threat to our "NATIONAL SECURITY", the FOREIGN shipping lines that dominate life in our harbors and transportation system through an illicit scheme of non-oceangoing price-setting and RICO activity in tax evasion, insurance fraud, and mainly, denying American workers their labor, civil, and human rights! WE are the true patriots of this nation! The foreign shipping lines have brought the war home to us.

Back at the turn of the previous century, the communal society of Tijuana, asked and received the mutual support of organized labor in California. Now, almost 100 years later, it is labor that needs the mutual support of the community. WE are one in the same!

There is a lot of speculation as to the origin of the "flyer" that allegedly instigated this upcoming week. I would like to thank brother Ricardo Flores Magon, last seen in Leavenworth, Kansas, for bringing together the labor movement and the community, for resurrecting and perfecting the message of the written word, the flyer, for predicting that both society and labor would come together, without leadership, but in a pure movement for human justice. Thanx Ricardo.

This Monday morning let us all raise the fist and yell at the top of our voice, "Free at last!" Acknowledgement of the state of bondage is the first step in the emancipation of society. Let there be no mistake, we are at war, and we must all rise and defend our society against the evildoers. This is only the beginning of what will be a long hot summer! We must fan the flame of resistance and thaw the frozen revolution for emancipation.


Hasta La Victoria Siempre Companeros, Patria o Muerte!!!!!

Ernesto Jesus Nevarez