------------------------- Via Workers World News Service Reprinted from the Oct. 10, 2002 issue of Workers World newspaper -------------------------
WEST COAST DOCK WORKERS LOCKED OUT: BOSSES URGE BUSH TO ATTACK UNION By Milt Neidenberg The Pacific Maritime Association (PMA), representing shipping lines and terminal operators, announced on Sunday evening, Sept. 29, that West Coast ports would remain shut down indefinitely. This decision to lock out 10,500 members of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) was an act of provocation against the union. It came less than 12 hours after dock workers had returned to work at 29 major West Coast ports after an initial lockout that began on Friday. They had been working without a contract since July 1. Robin Lanier, executive director of the West Coast Waterfront Coalition (WCWC), representing many major retailers, importers and manufacturers--including Wal-Mart, Nike, Target and Payless Shoes--commented: "We are still getting freight, but in a scatter-shot fashion, and it is difficult to do business that way." (Wall Street Journal, Sept. 30) WITHOUT WORKERS, INVENTORIES WILL QUICKLY DISAPPEAR U.S. companies depend increasingly on on-time inventories. Short-term interruptions in the flow of goods, particularly as the holiday season begins, will create a ship-to-shore gridlock--a disaster for these giant corporations. The ILWU handles over 40 percent of the nation's sea-borne cargo, valued at over $320 billion annually. Has the PMA shot itself in the anatomy by declaring these lockouts? It has appealed for a federal mediator to intervene and do its dirty work--a sure sign of weakness. The ILWU has rejected any government intervention, sending a message to Bush to butt out. It doesn't seem likely that the Bush administration, which declares it is ready to attack Iraq in a full-scale invasion under the spurious excuse of "national security," will remain too long on the sidelines. It was clear from day one that the maritime association had conspired with the giant retailers and the Bush administration to launch a preemptive action against the union. Without a Bush intervention, the bosses are losing the war against the ILWU. The relationship of class forces has clearly shifted in favor of the union, which has rallied support from many sectors of the labor movement and the working-class community, both nationally and internationally. On Oct. 1, the PMA brought armed guards into the negotiations in an attempt to intimidate the union. As soon as they saw the armed goons, the ILWU walked out, breaking off the talks. The PMA lockout has created a growing crisis among the shippers. Now the PMA wants the union to sign a contract extension of the old agreement as one condition for lifting the lockout. MAIN ISSUES ARE TECHNOLOGY AND JOBS In desperation, the PMA ordered the lockouts to punish the rank and file. It demanded that the union and the membership give up their demands for guarantees from the bosses that remaining jobs and all jobs created by new technology will be ILWU jobs. Among the many issues on the table, this was the most pressing. ILWU President Jim Spinosa responded to the lockouts: "PMA's slanderous allegations of slowdowns during the biggest speedup in ILWU history, that coincides with a record number of on-the-job deaths, is literally adding insult to injury." ILWU members have been refusing overtime. A memorial rally held in Long Beach, Calif., on Sept. 18 outside the offices of the Stevedore Services of America honored five longshore members who have died on the job in SSA terminals in the last year. Unsafe work practices in these terminals, leased from the PMA, have led to mounting injuries. Following the traditional ringing of the ILWU bell and a minute of silence for each loss, respect turned to anger as the members responded to the call to rip off their SSA- provided safety vests and throw them on the company's chain- link fence. WORKERS HEED SAFETY RULES ILWU Local 10 in Oakland/San Francisco has also called repeatedly for its members to work under the safety rules of the Pacific Coast Maritime Safety Code. It's the law of the workplace and a legitimate response to unsafe conditions. In the local's Stewards' Council Bulletin, it cites some of the rules: "(Rule 1601) Before entering the terminal, make sure clearly marked or designated walkways to your work area are provided. If not, the employer is required to transport you to and from your work area (see Rule 1603). "(Rule 921) All power-operated equipment must have seat belts. ... Don't speed. ... Report potholes to the walking boss. "(Rule 1605) Yield signs shall be posted at all intersections where visibility is limited." The bulletin continues: "There have been a number of serious tractor accidents caused by speeding. Drive [at a] safe speed, especially with heavy loads and when turning. Use the designated lanes. Never cut through stacks of containers. At night, make sure there is adequate lighting." The safety rules mentioned are a small sample of what is in the rulebook followed by the rank and file. And shouldn't they? When an accident occurs, the workers are blamed and punished. Maersk/Sealand, the most powerful member of the PMA, has illegally put up 25-mile-per-hour speed signs in the yard. Health and safety experts consider this rate of speed excessive, contributing to injury and death. WILL WASHINGTON INTERVENE? According to sources in the labor movement, such as the AFL- CIO's Jobs with Justice, the Bush administration has stated in writing that it has no plans to break up the union, send troops or place longshore workers under the Railway Labor Act. However, the government statement didn't mention the vicious, anti-union Taft-Hartley law, which the Bush administration can trigger to impose an 80-day no-strike injunction on the union. It is clear that the lockouts, if they continue, will exacerbate the gridlock on the docks, causing paralysis as the economic situation deteriorates, both nationally and internationally. "If it goes on for even a short period of time, it's a problem for the economy," said Ari Fleischer, the White House spokesperson, on Oct. 1. "We're monitoring it carefully." Labor and its allies have to be prepared for the intervention of the Bush administration. The war against labor in this country is part of the plan to make the people here pay for the projected all-out war on the Iraqi people. A reporter who visited the ILWU Local 13 hiring hall in Wilmington, Calif., saw little enthusiasm for going back on the job among the men and women of different nationalities scanning the electronic tote board for work. They don't want speedup and unsafe conditions. Posters on the wall reading "Unity/Unidad" spoke eloquently about the outlook of the 10,500 longshore workers. - END - (Copyright Workers World Service: Everyone is permitted to copy and distribute verbatim copies of this document, but changing it is not allowed. For more information contact Workers World, 55 W. 17 St., NY, NY 10011; via e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe [EMAIL PROTECTED] Support the voice of resistance http://www.workers.org/orders/donate.php) ------------------ This message is sent to you by Workers World News Service. 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