The Dispatcher (ISSN 0012-3765) is published monthly except for a combined July/August issue, for $5.00 a year and$10.00 a year for non-members by the ILWU, 1188 Franklin St., San Francisco, CA 94109. Periodical postage paid at SanFrancisco, CA. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to The Dispatcher, 1188 Franklin St., San Francisco, CA 94109.

www.ilwu.org

Vol. 62, No. 7 July-August 200495

Landfill workersscore striking winpage 9

John Kerry for Presidentpages 2, 4, 10

ILWU members canvas for Kerry

page 5

INSIDEAfrican American ferry workers targeted, arrested . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .p. 3Hawaii IBU wins strike, demands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .p. 6ITF dockers meet in Singapore, plan actions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .p. 7Pension plans in the corporate crosshairs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .p. 8

Pull out all the stopsMore than a year ago the democratically elected delegates to

the ILWU International Convention voted resoundingly to make thedefeat of George W. Bush in this November’s election our numberone priority. Since then, even while doing the day-to-day work ofthe union, negotiating and administering contracts, organizing newworkers and defending our jurisdiction, we have kept our focus onthat top goal. We have been planning and building toward it, coor-dinating our collective imagination and energies. Now we are inthe final stretch of the race, time to pull out all the stops.

This program is not driven by ideology, by some partisan dis-taste for a Republican presidency. It comes out of our own expe-rience.

We must never forget how Bush abused the office of the pres-ident during our 2002 longshore contract negotiations. He inter-vened on the side of the employers with the intent of destroyingthe ILWU. He directly threatened to send the military to seize thedocks and take ourjobs. He threatened topass legislation elimi-nating our collectivebargaining rights andto invoke the dreadedTaft-Hartley injunctionshould we exercisethose rights andstrike. And in anunprecedented movehe did impose Taft-Hartley on the work-ers and their unionwhen the employersclosed all West Coastports with their lock-out.

His blatant biasand callous disregardfor the lives and well-being of working peo-ple weren’t demon-strated just in theILWU’s situation. Every policy he has initiated in the last four yearshas had that intent and effect. His tax cuts for the rich and subse-quent cuts in programs aiding working and poor people; his pro-posals to privatize Social Security and individualize pensions forthe good of Wall Street bankers and investors at the expense ofworkers’ retirement; his war in Iraq that has cost the lives of athousand sons and daughters of American workers, created abudget deficit of unprecedented size and made the world saferonly for oil profits—the list could go on and on. What they all havein common is that the rich get richer and the workers get screwed.

The American labor movement will not likely survive anotherfour years of these policies. And the ILWU, with the longshorecontract expiring in the summer of 2008, will be in the crosshairsof a Bush lame duck presidency.

We cannot let this happen and we won’t. As part of our strate-gic plan the ILWU is working with the AFL-CIO on its nationallycoordinated effort to beat Bush. As part of that, like just aboutevery other union in the AFL-CIO, the ILWU will be sending rank-and-file activists to key battleground states to get out the vote, tomake sure every anti-Bush, pro-John Kerry ballot is cast. We ofcourse will be focusing much of our efforts in our home states of

Washington, Oregon and Hawaii, but since it is clear California andits 55 electoral votes will go to Kerry, we will be sending activistsfrom there to the nearby swing states of Nevada, Arizona and NewMexico. Working together with other unions doing the same thingwe will dramatically increase our chance of ousting Bush. As wefight side by side with members of other unions, we will strength-en the ties that bind the labor movement as well. We will put our-selves in a better position to advocate for our issues in aDemocratic administration and remind Kerry who helped him win.

This will take a tremendous grassroots effort. We need everyrank-and-file member to find time to volunteer in your own areasto register voters and make sure they get to the polls. (Contacts inyour area are listed on page 5.) It is your responsibility not just tovote for Kerry, but to make sure all your friends, family membersand neighbors do too.

It is an unfortunate but well-known fact that campaigns of thismagnitude require money. For the last few months the ILWU hasbeen raising money for our Political Action Fund and many of our

members have alreadycontributed generously.Others have not yet andthey need to step upbecause time is grow-ing short. Instructionson how to make yourcontribution are onpage 10 of this issue ofThe Dispatcher. Youwill also be receiving amailing at home solicit-ing a political actiondonation.

We will be usingthese funds to powerour get-out-the-voteeffort and to contributeto key Senate andCongressional racesaround the country, tar-geting pro-worker can-didates so that whenKerry does win the

presidency, he’ll have a Congress that will pass his programs.Do not be discouraged by polls that imply Bush is leading this

race. These polls have many statistical irregularities. Mostly theyonly measure “likely” voters, defined as those who voted in thelast election. We have been recruiting many new voters, peoplewho felt disillusioned or powerless in the past, but now, motivat-ed by Bush’s disastrous policies, see the need to get involved. Thepolls can’t measure the passion of the opposition and the unitedactivism Bush has incited. Remember, the only poll that matters isthe one taken on Nov. 2.

Do not let others define the terms of the debate. We’re upagainst a corporate media machine that sows confusion andblows smoke to cover up the real issues. Some of our membershave deeply felt concerns on social issues that may push themtowards Bush. It’s up to us to keep the focus on the real stakes inthis election. We are fighting to save our unions and any hope ofa decent future for the working families of this country.

We will win this election because we must win and becausethe working people of this country are the majority. And when weunite, organize and mobilize the American labor movement cannotbe beaten.

WHILE YOU’RE CANVASSING…

While the ILWU has been keep-ing an almost laser-like focus onthe November election and the re-defeat of Bush, the other work ofthe union continues. It keeps onorganizing, negotiating contracts,building solidarity and advocatingfor its members. In this issue wereport on some of this work.

Workers at a landfill in theEast Bay city of Livermore,California, tired of making lowerwages than union workers doingthe same job at nearby dumps,decided they wanted to join thosewarehouse Local 6 members (seepage 9). Even though 15 of the 16workers in the unit signed cardssaying they wanted ILWU repre-sentation, the employer, RepublicServices, ignored their demand.Frustrated, the workers took directaction. They downed their toolsand picked up picket signs. Withsome truckers respecting the lineand the operation slowed down, thecompany relented within a fewhours and consented to talk to theunion. Within three weeks, theyagreed to recognize and bargainwith Local 6.

In Hawaii, where nearly every-thing but the tourists comes in byship, members of the Inlandboat-men’s Union, the ILWU’s MarineDivision, are essential to the day-to-day economic life of the state.They operate the tugboats thatguide the cargo ships to berth atthe Port of Honolulu and thebarges that then shuttle goodsaround the islands.

Still, when their contractexpired, the employer, HawaiianTug & Barge/Young Brothers, cameto the table seeking to cut crew sizeand refusing to grant more time off(see page 6). Both moves spelled“safety hazard” to the IBU mem-bers who ply treacherous currentsfor days on end. So they dockedtheir boats and manned the picketlines. In four days they had a dealwhich preserved manning and gavethem more time off.

The International TransportWorkers’ Federation (ITF) draws600 unions under its umbrella,including the ILWU. Several ILWUInternational officers and theInternational Affairs Director wentto the ITF Dockers’ SectionConference in Singapore to buildstrategy and solidarity for con-fronting threats to seafarers, dockworkers and their unions world-wide (see page 7).

Unions always deal with bread-and-butter issues that keep fami-lies alive—pay, health care, pen-sions. But nothing hits closer tohome than your home. On Hawaii’smain island of Oahu some 300 peo-ple, mostly ILWU pineapple work-ers and their families, live inPoamoho Camp, old plantationhousing run by their employer DelMonte (see page 6). Del Monte wasabout to give up its long-term leaseon the land and the camp’s resi-dents faced eviction. But the tight-knit community organized with thehelp of ILWU Local 142, its politicalclout and social connections. Theyfound a local developer to buy theland and are working out how theycan buy their homes and keep theircommunity together.

And all the while, memberswere pounding pavement to makesure these efforts can continue nextyear (see page 5).

See you on the sidewalks…

—Steve Stallone’Editor

Inside Line

ILWU Titled Officers

JAMES SPINOSAPresident

ROBERT McELLRATH WESLEY FURTADOVice President Vice President

WILLIAM E. ADAMSSecretary-Treasurer

Published monthly except for a combined July/August issue, for $5.00, $10 non-members,a year by the ILWU, 1188 Franklin St., San Francisco, CA 94109-6898. The Dispatcherwelcomes letters, photos and other submissions to the above address. © ILWU, 2004.

Steve StalloneEditor

Tom PriceAssistant Editor

www.ilwu.org

2 • July-August 2004

By James SpinosaILWU International President

“We’re fightingto save our

unions and anyhope of a

decent future forthe working

families of thiscountry.”

• 3July-August 2004

Washington State Ferry ticketseller Jesse Eaton sensedsomething wrong as soon as

he arrived at the Port of Seattle’sColman Dock June 6. As he took theelevator to the mezzanine to start his3:15 p.m. shift that Sunday, he noticeda terminal auditor who normallyworked only Monday through Friday,nine to five. The concourse was emptyand a state trooper he didn’t recognizelurked by the lobby door.

“It gave me an eerie feeling,”Eaton said. “I felt like turning aroundand going home.”

As he walked into the lobby, threeplain clothes detectives swarmed himand asked if he was Jesse Eaton. Theytold him he was under arrest, slappedhandcuffs on him in front of the ferrypassengers queuing up and walkedhim across the lobby to a vacant room.

The detectives read Eaton hisMiranda rights. At first Eaton startedanswering their questions. They toldhim there were four arrests that day.Eaton asked if they were all AfricanAmericans, but they declined toanswer. Instead they asked him if he’dheard rumors about surveillance cam-eras in the ticket booths and told himthey had videotapes of him resellingtickets. Eaton asked for an attorney.

During the interrogation, SteveRodgers, a Washington State Ferrymanager, handed Eaton a suspensionletter. The “Notification of Leave Dueto Conduct Violations” letter placedhim on administrative leave with pay“until further notice” because theWSF “obtained information” that hehad committed theft and violations ofcash/check handling procedures.

Eaton was hauled off to the coun-ty jail, informed he was under investi-gation for theft and released on hisown recognizance at 2 a.m.

The other three AfricanAmerican ticket sellers had similarexperiences. Richelle Gregory workedthe morning shift and was supposedto go home by 1:45 p.m., but hersupervisor asked her to stay late.About 3:20 p.m., three plainclothesdetectives and one uniformed statetrooper surrounded her booth, arrest-ed and handcuffed her and marchedher to a private room for questioning.They asked her if she’d stolen thou-sands of dollars and if she used drugs.They searched her bag and personaleffects. Rogders, the WSF manager,came into the room and handed herthe same suspension letter he gaveEaton. Gregory was taken to thecounty jail and released on her ownrecognizance at 2 a.m.

Dana Clark, working in the boothnext to Gregory, got arrested at thesame time. She was handcuffed andparaded across the terminal to aninterrogation room. The detectivesasked her how much money she stole.

“Zero,” she said. The detectivesclaimed to have a videotape of herstealing and pressed her for informa-tion about the other accused ticketsellers. When Clark wouldn’t tellthem what they wanted to hear,Rodgers gave her the suspension let-ter. She was taken to the county jailand released after midnight.

Romain Jackson was the last ofthe four to arrive at Colman Dockthat day. As he entered the lobby hewas surrounded by three state patrol-men, cuffed, searched and taken tointerrogation. They claimed they hadhim on tape “commingling funds”and stealing $15. They pressed himfor information about his otheraccused co-workers, but he had noth-ing to offer. Rodgers came in and gavehim the suspension letter. The detec-tives told him he could be chargedwith criminal conduct, but proceededto let him go.

“It was a racist round-up. They’vebeen trying to push us out of here for

a long time,” said Eaton, who is a shopsteward, a member of the IBU PugetSound Region Executive Board and anIBU convention delegate.

Eaton noted both he and Gregoryhave racial discrimination lawsuitspending, in his case for being called“nigger” and being spat upon. He wasalso a witness in an another casewhere an African American co-work-er was charged with theft and hasfiled several unfair labor practicecharges against WSF.

Handcuffing the ticket sellers inpublic and parading them throughthe lobby like fishermen showing offthe day’s catch was racist and unnec-essary, Eaton said.

“It was beyond humiliation,” hesaid. “I’ve been at Colman Dock for 15years and I know many of the peoplethere. It was really embarrassing.”

IBU National Secretary-Treasurer Terri Mast was outragedby what she said was clearly a racial-ly tinged set-up.

“These four ticket sellers don’tnormally all work the same day andshift and one was kept overtime,”Mast said. “And the only African

American supervisor who normallyworks that day was rescheduled forFriday and sent to a different dock.”

The whole arrest procedure vio-lated the workers’ rights and theWSF’s own Code of Conduct, IBUPuget Sound Regional DirectorDennis Conklin charged. The WSFcan confront employees with allega-tions, instruct them to cooperate withan investigation and place them onadministrative leave, but there is sup-posed to be a fact-finding investiga-tion and a hearing in which theemployee gets to rebut the chargesbefore any arrests are made, he said.

“There’s nothing on the tapes,the allegations are just a theory,” saidConklin, who has seen the video.

The union mobilized to protect itsmembers. Conklin filed ULP chargesagainst management for breaking thecontract’s rules on discipline and forchanging the conditions of work byputting the surveillance cameras inthe booths without consulting theunion. He and Mast organized a dele-gation, including representativesfrom the Washington State LaborCouncil, the King County Central

Labor Council, the NAACP, the A.Philip Randolph Institute and ILWUInternational Secretary-TreasurerWillie Adams, to make a call on thehead of the WSF, Mike Thorne.

At the meeting the union delega-tion asked Thorne why he had theworkers arrested rather than usingthe proper process. Thorne said heknew nothing of the situation. Butinteroffice e-mails obtained by theIBU in its investigation showedThorne was kept updated on theprocess preceding the arrests.

The union had U.S. Senator PattyMurray (D-WA), Congressional repre-sentatives Jay Islee (D-WA), callThorne to inquire about the situa-tion. Thorne has since “resigned” hisposition.

WSF fired Eaton, Gregory andClark. Jackson remains on adminis-trative leave. No charges have beenfiled, although the state has up to twoyears after the arrests to do so.Conklin plans to take the termina-tions to arbitration and feels confi-dent of victory.

“I believe we’re going to win theirjobs back,” he said.

Actor and activist Danny Glover joined ILWU long-shore Local 10 at its hall for the Million Worker Marchkick-off rally May 22. The local has put out a call for rank-and-file workers to converge on Washington, D.C. Oct. 17to demand that politicians listen to those who pay theirsalaries and that they take seriously the needs of workingfamilies.

The Million Worker March will rally workers, their fam-ilies and supporters the Lincoln Memorial to demandpower be taken from the corporate oligarchy andrestored to the people.

Local 10 president Henry Graham, Chris Silvera,Secretary-Treasurer of Teamsters Local 808 in New Yorkand Chair of the Teamsters National Black Caucus,Brenda Stokely, President of AFSCME District Council1707 in New York and journalist Alexander Cockburn andstriking CWA phone workers were among those in atten-dance at the rally.

“We have to wake up not just the labor movement,but the entire country, to let those in Washington, D.C.know that ‘we the people’ are the United States ofAmerica,” San Francisco Labor Council Secretary-Treasurer Walter Johnson told the rally. “To talk about amillion worker march is one thing, to do it is somethingelse. But dreams come true only when we work on them,and that’s what we have to do here.”

Among other things, the workers will demand univer-sal healthcare, a national living wage, an end to the Iraqwar, and protected and enhanced social security. Unfairtrade deals like NAFTA and WTO must be scrapped. Thecities must be rebuilt, housing must be secured, publicschools and transit must be advanced. The MillionWorker March organizers believe power must be takenback from the corporate elite to gain these demands.

Other demands list many things wrong with thiscountry. The anti-labor Taft-Hartley Act must be repealed.Privatization and contracting-out must end. Enviromental

laws must be strengthened and enforced. Bush’s faith-based pseudo science must be stopped and globalwarming must be recognized as a major threat to workersand their children. Corporations must pay taxes, and thetax code must be made more progressive.

Longshore Local 10 passed the initial resolution pro-posing the march and clerks’ Local 34 followed suit. TheLongshore, Clerk and Walking Boss’ Caucus of the ILWUendorsed the march at its May 17-22 meeting.Congresswoman Barbara Lee (D-CA) has signed on,along with activist Dick Gregory. Scores of union localsand hundreds of individuals have added their names to agrowing list of sponsors.

Some critics of the march have said it will take thefocus off John Kerry and the effort to re-defeat Bush. TheAFL-CIO and the ILWU’s International Executive Boardhave declined to endorse the march. Local 10 executiveboard member Clarence Thomas, co-chair of the march’sorganizing committee, says it isn’t really about the elec-tion.

“This march is about putting together a workers’agenda, because who ever is elected president, there’snot going to be any change until that agenda isaddressed,” Thomas said. “When you look at the strug-gles of working people in this country, the only time weget any concessions from the system is when we organ-ize independently of the Republicans and Democrats.There wouldn’t have been a Black Power movement,there wouldn’t have been a civil rights movement, awomen’s movement, a peace movement had it not beenfor working people and others organizing in their ownname.”

—Tom Price

Million Worker March info: Website: www.millionworkermarch.orgE-mail: mwm_committee@yahoo.com Telephone: (415) 771-2028.

Black ferry workers targeted, arrested

Workers to converge on DC for social justice

By Steve Stallone

Tom

Pric

e

By Lindsay McLaughlinILWU Legislative Director

The ILWU Executive Boardendorsed Senator John Kerry(D-MA) for President of the

United States at its April 15 meetingand unanimously affirmed this deci-sion with a Statement of Policy at itsAug. 26-27 meeting (see page 10).This endorsement was no close call.Throughout Kerry’s 18-year Senatecareer, he has voted for labor’s posi-tion 90 percent of the time.

Kerry supports workers’ right toorganize and have card-check recogni-tion in organizing drives. He opposesBush’s plan to eliminate overtime pay,supports ergonomic safeguards on thejob, has co-sponsored legislation tooutlaw striker replacement and wantsto index the minimum wage to infla-tion and extend and improve unem-ployment benefits.

But Kerry’s record is not perfect.In the past he has supported the freetrade policies of both the Clinton andBush administrations that have beenso devastating to the nation’s manu-facturing base and its good blue-col-lar jobs. However, Kerry’s positionhas evolved. He is committed to vot-ing against the Central AmericanFree Trade Agreement and the FreeTrade Agreement of the Americasunless these agreements includemeaningful labor, environmental andhuman rights provisions.

Kerry has stated publicly that heagrees with the ILWU that sealchecks and inspections of empty con-tainers should be part of an overallport security strategy. He wants tofocus on real homeland security pro-grams without attacking the civil lib-erties of longshore workers and otherworkers in America.

On the critical issue of healthcare coverage, Kerry plans to extendaffordable health care to 95 percent ofAmericans so they get the same cov-erage as members of Congress.Health experts have asserted thatKerry’s plan will lower private healthinsurance costs and expand the num-ber of people covered. Lowering thecost of care will help the ILWU retainhealth coverage for its members.

Kerry is very concerned about theoutsourcing of American jobs. He hasvowed to stop tax breaks to compa-nies that send American jobs overseasand create tax incentives to keep goodjobs at home. Kerry also advocates

denying government contracts tocompanies that move offshore.

The American labor movement,and the ILWU in particular, cannotsurvive another four years of GeorgeW. Bush and his band of megalomani-ac advisors. In less than four years, theBush administration has turned arecord budget surplus into a recordbudget deficit. The economy has lost2.6 million jobs in manufacturingalone. It has lost over 1.8 million morejobs than were created during Bush’sreign. The unemployment figuresfrom July show only a paltry 32,000new jobs were created that month.

Bush has used “national security”and the Sept. 11 tragedy to justify anattack on American workers’ collectivebargaining rights and civil liberties.During consideration of the HomelandSecurity bill, Bush insisted on un-prece-dented power to strip collective bargain-ing rights from hundreds of thousandsof federal workers. Bush allies even hadthe audacity to attack Sen. Max Cleland(D-GA), a Vietnam War veteran andtriple amputee, for being soft on terror-ism when he disagreed with this whole-sale theft of rights.

In the wake of the Sept. 11tragedy, Bush pushed the so-called

Patriot Act through Congress. ThePatriot Act allows the FBI to investi-gate American citizens and residentsbased in part on their exercise of theirFirst Amendment rights. The FBIcan spy on people because it doesn’tlike the books they read or the websites they visit. It can spy on peoplewho write letters to the editor criti-cizing U.S. government policy or onunion members who stand up fortheir rights.

Who could forget the Bushadministration’s conduct during the2002 longshore negotiations? Itthreatened to take away theLongshore Division’s collective bar-gaining rights. An administrationofficial acknowledged that they wereprepared to use federal troops toreplace striking longshore workers.In an unprecedented move, theadministration invoked the Taft-Hartley Act against the ILWU in anemployer lockout.

ILWU members did not bendunder the lockout and Taft-Hartleyinjunction. The solidarity amongmembers proved to be the decidingfactor in the ILWU’s ability to obtainan acceptable collective bargainingagreement with the Pacific Maritime

Association. This contract expires in2008. If Bush gets another term, hemost likely will attack ILWU collec-tive bargaining rights again.

The Bush administration pushedthrough changes in regulations toeliminate overtime pay for as many assix million American workers despitea strong opposition vote from amajority of Congress members. Withthese rules changes, Bush under-mines the 40-hour week Americanworkers died to win.

Even though most union mem-bers have collective bargaining agree-ments protecting their right to over-time, the rules changes will hit themas well. Most union contracts specifythat overtime hours must be compen-sated at time and a half. But whenthose contracts expire, all bets are off.At that point the employers can insiston negotiating new language because,for the first time, many workers whohad a federal right to overtime paywill no longer have it. To maintaintheir current protection, union work-ers might to have to give up otherbenefits or accept smaller increases.

Congress can repeal these egregiousregulations, and certainly Kerry willreverse them if he becomes president.

Recognizing that working fami-lies will suffer tremendously if Bushwins in November, the 2003 ILWUInternational Convention made thedefeat of Bush its top priority.Accordingly, ILWU members are step-ping up to the plate to elect Kerrypresident. Washington and Oregonare so-called battleground states thatcould go either way. Fifteen longshoreworkers were trained by the AFL-CIO on Aug. 18-19, 2004 and will beplaced in states where their help isneeded. Some 50 ILWU members willtravel this fall to different states tohelp get out the vote.

Though House, Senate and gover-nors’ races are important this year,there is no more urgent need than tosend Bush back to Crawford, Texas.The only way to do that is to vote himout of office and elect John Kerry.

As ILWU President Jim Spinosasaid in a recent letter to ILWU mem-bers, “It is vital that you register andget out there to vote this year. Moreimportantly, don’t just vote. Get yourfamily members and their friends outto the polls in November as well. Thevery existence of the ILWU is atstake.”

4 • July-August 2004

John Kerry, ILWU’s choice for president

Fraud and theft at Florida pollingplaces threw the 2000 election toGeorge Bush, and this sorry storyrang a huge wake-up call. A closerlook at elections around the countryrevealed voting rights violationseverywhere, from intimidation andlies to spoiled ballots and bad purgesof voter rolls.

“Millions were denied their rightto vote as much by faulty technologyand lack of preparation as by pur-poseful fraud and deceit,” the AFL-CIO Executive Council said in astatement from its March 2004 meet-ing.

Determined to see this year’shuge get-out-the-vote effort is notwasted, the Federation joinedElection Protection 2004, a coalitionof more than 60 civil rights, religious,political and labor groups, includingthe Coalition of Black TradeUnionists, the A. Philip RandolphInstitute, the Labor Council for LatinAmerican Advancement and SEIU.The coalition is educating voters on

balloting procedures and setting up anetwork of poll watchers to catchfraud and abuse.

“Calculated and determinedefforts at intimidation and suppres-sion” of voters of color started in thepost-Civil War Reconstruction periodand continue today according to “TheLong Shadow of Jim Crow,” a reportissued by the NAACP and People forthe American Way. The report detailsmore than two dozen incidents takingplace over the last 25 years. Earlierthis year, for example, armed plain-clothes officers visited elderly Blackvoters at home in Orlando, Florida.Native Americans could not vote inSouth Dakota’s March 2004 primaryunless they showed photo ID’s. Nolaw required ID.

Nearly two million citizens cast“spoiled ballots” that did not getcounted in the 2000 presidential elec-tion, according to investigativereporter Greg Palast, author of “TheBest Democracy Money Can Buy.”About half of them were African

American and some 180,000 voted inFlorida. That state took another57,700 people off the voter rolls asfelons. Most weren’t felons, but amajority were Black. More than 90percent of the Black electorate votesDemocrat, Palast said, and Bush’smargin of victory in Florida was only547 votes.

“Spoiled ballots” may result fromjammed machines, stray marks, orbad punches. Even seemingly inno-cent election-day foul-ups are morelikely to block voting by working peo-ple and people of color, said CecelieCounts, director of the AFL-CIO’sCivil, Human and Women’s RightsDept.

“The Republican chair of theElection Advisory Commission set upby the Help American Vote Act of2002 (HAVA) said publicly, ‘Wealready know where polls are going toopen late, run out of ballots by 2p.m.and have machines break down after6p.m. when people come to vote afterwork,” Counts said.

The AFL-CIO is producing a“Voters Bill of Rights” tailored toeach battleground state and advisesunion members and activists to takesome basic steps to secure their votes:

• Call the local election office tobe sure you are registered and knowwhere to vote.

• Be especially sure to check yourregistration if you have moved orchanged your name or have not votedrecently.

• Check for any new voting pro-cedures or ID requirements.

• Know that you have the right tovote a provisional ballot if your namedoes not appear on the list at yourpolling place.

—MER

For more information, go towww.myvotemyright.com, e-mail vot-ingrights@afl-cio.org or call the AFL-CIO’s Civil, Human & Women’sRights Dept. at 202-637-5270. For acopy of “The Long Shadow of JimCrow,” go to www.pfaw.org.

Make your vote count

Still hanging back, thinkingabout doing some election work?John Philbrook of longshore

Local 21 has a few words for you.“It’s easy and it’s positive when

you go talk to other union members,”Philbrook said. “Sometimes I go tothe door and people don’t know toomuch about what’s going on and Ileave them with more information.I’ve registered people to vote, andthat’s a feel-good thing.”

Forget the stage fright, Philbrooksaid. “I always stumble at the door,but I just tell people we’re union vol-unteers talking to other union mem-bers,” he said.

Philbrook is one of a half-dozenILWU members who are helping theAFL-CIO coordinate its work in thebattleground states of Washingtonand Oregon. Dozens of other mem-bers in those states are logging milesin precinct walks to educate and reg-ister union voters. So are members ofHawaii Local 142. The CoastLegislative Action Committeebrought in a trainer from the AFL-CIO Political Dept. to give coreactivists strategy and tools. Pushedby necessity, the ILWU is unrolling itsbiggest election mobilization ever.

“I tell people, if you want to haveyour union survive, you better partic-ipate,” said longshore Local 19’s JohnMunson, president of the PugetSound District Council.

Labor can turn the election byfocusing people-power where itcounts and turning out entire unionhouseholds, according to SuzanneGranville of the AFL-CIO PoliticalDept. She led the Aug. 18-19 trainingat the International headquartersorganized by the Legislative ActionCommittee. Fifteen members fromlongshore Locals 8, 10, 13, 19, 23 and

46 and marine clerks’ locals 52, 40and 63 attended.

First they mapped the fight, thenthey talked tools. The AFL-CIO isfocusing on 16 states: Washington,Oregon, New Mexico, Nevada,Arizona, Iowa, Missouri, Michigan,Minnesota, Wisconsin, Ohio, WestVirginia, Pennsylvania, Florida, Maineand New Hampshire. New polls aswell as the 2000 election results pre-dict close races in these states. In2000, 66 percent of all union membersvoted Democratic. AFL-CIO strate-gists say this will need to go up fivepercent this year to beat Bush.

Keeping the focus on “kitchentable” issues like job flight and healthcare will be crucial to this effort,Granville said. “If we’re not keepinglabor issues out front, debate over‘personal character’ and social wedgeissues will take over,” she said. Andintensive worker-to-worker campaignswill play a crucial part in highlightingthose issues and moving voters.

“In any campaign, the most validendorser is a fellow worker,” Granvillesaid. “People want sincerity, not mind-numbing legislative details.”

The ILWU plans to send around50 members to swing states in thefinal weeks of the election. Most willcome from California, where Demo-crats have a strong edge. Membersfrom Oregon and Washington havetheir work cut out for them closer tohome. The AFL-CIO has also askedthe ILWU for immediate help inArizona and Nevada. Tim Scott (Local63) and Patricia Tuck (Local 63) areleading the efforts there.

The Columbia River DistrictCouncil hosted a special barbequenight July 27 for Labor 2004 inOregon. Some 75 union members, 30from ILWU Locals 5, 8 and 40,

downed burgers and hot dogs cour-tesy of CRDC before fanning out totalk to Portland union members. Thenext week ILWU efforts helped bringa highly visible union presence to the60,000-strong rally that marked theend of the Kerry/Edwards “Believe inAmerica” bus tour. The crowd packedPortland’s Waterfront Park andspilled into the surrounding blocks.

“The most exciting thing was allthe energy from all the people beingthere,” said CRDC President JeffSmith.

ILWU teams in the Puget Soundarea and Southwest Washington havebeen doing similar work with theLabor/Neighbor programs there.They have hosted GOTV barbeques,helped mobilize for the Aug. 28 Kerryrally in Tacoma and registered newvoters. Local 23 volunteers have reg-istered close to 200 people just by set-ting up a table at the hall.

At the end of August, organizersin the battleground states got busytrying to build the labor movement’sbiggest one-day election mobilizationever. They set a goal of fielding 15,000people to knock on a million doorsSept. 2 while George Bush accepted

his nomination at the RepublicanConvention.

Hawaii Local 142 has trainedmore than 130 members to registervoters. While the volunteer registrarson Maui are visiting ILWU families athome, registrars on other islandshave found they do better talking toco-workers on the job. After the Sept.18 primary, they will re-focus theirefforts towards informing peopleabout the candidates endorsed by theunion and getting out the vote.

Wherever they go, the ILWU vol-unteers try to make the union con-nection and practice respect to winover voters with different priorities.

“When we say we’re longshoreworkers coming out because we wantto share this information, it lightenspeople up a bit,” said Local 23’s HollyMichael, who’s brand-new to canvass-ing. “I try to tell them to just look atthe issues and decide for themselves.Sometimes they have other issueslike abortion and guns. I tell thempeople’s jobs and supporting our fam-ilies are important too.”

—Marcy ReinJohn Showalter contributed to this story.

• 5July-August 2004

House by house, union members fight the power

The ILWU on all levels haspledged to remove George W.Bush from the White House

and regain a Democratic majority inCongress this November. Members,retirees and families are on the moveto do it. As part of this effort,International President JamesSpinosa, International Secretary-Treasurer William Adams andCoastcommitteeman Joseph Wenzlwent to Boston July 26-29 to attendthe Democratic Convention.

Spinosa and Wenzl were guests ofthe AFL-CIO, while Adams was an at-large delegate from California.

“As far as I know this is the firsttime an international officer of theILWU has been a delegate,” Adamssaid. “What impressed me was thatfinally the Democrats had a loud,clear precise message. It didn’t mat-ter what part of the Democratic Partyyou were from, we were all on thesame page. Whether someone spokevery eloquently, like Bill Clinton orBarack Obama, everybody was sayingthe same thing—that it’s time for achange. Somehow in America we gotoff course, and we’ve got to fix it.”

Political action has become amajor focus of the labor movement,especially since Bush took office inthe flawed 2000 election. After losingthe popular vote, Bush began anattack on working people that isunprecedented in American history.He still plans to contract-out nearly850,000 federal jobs, and his PatriotAct denied union rights to 170,000federal workers. The Bush adminis-tration threatened military interven-tion against the ILWU in the 2002longshore lockout, and more jobswere lost on his watch than any timesince the Great Depression. Massivetrade deficits have wiped out U.S. jobs

and Bush’s tax cuts for the rich havede-funded social programs. Add tothat an intractable war in the MiddleEast and limitless defense budgetincreases and union families haveplenty of reasons to get active.

“Bush ran on theory of being acompassionate conservative and auniter. Yes, he’s united the DemocraticParty against him,” Adams said.

ILWU officers went to workshopsand receptions, focusing everywhereon the issues important to workingpeople. Spinosa also discussed workerissues with Sen. Ted Kennedy (D-MA) and other international unionpresidents in Hyannis Port.

“What we want most from afuture Kerry administration would beattention on the issues affecting work-ing families,” Wenzl said. “For theILWU port security is first amongstthese, but in general healthcare, trade,outsourcing, and the passage of theEmployees’ Free Choice Act are veryimportant. That act would allow work-ers to have union representation if amajority signed cards saying so. Itwould also require the employers tobargain with workers and would man-date an arbitrated first contract if onecould not be agreed.”

The AFL-CIO wasn’t invited tothe Republican Convention, Wenzlnoted.

“This current administrationdoesn’t even answer the phone callsof the president of the AFL-CIO,”Wenzl said. “With Kerry in office wewould have at least a chance to pres-ent our issues to the administration.We believe Kerry will be better onlabor, healthcare and education.Winning this election is the first stepin taking back our country.”

–Tom Price

ILWU officers make presencefelt at the DNC

Longshore Local 8 members Gordon Wescott (at left) and Brian Harvey (atright) canvassing July 27 in Portland. Some 75 union members, 30 of themfrom Locals 5, 8 and 40, walked the neighborhoods that night after a bar-beque hosted by the Columbia River District Council.

Clement Mejia fromWaste Management(foreground) holds hisson Manuel as MargaretHanlon Gradie of theCalifornia LaborFederation explains thevoter registration form tothe shop stewards’ coun-cil of warehouse Local 6.The stewards used theirAug. 7 meeting for a pre-election training focusedon passage of Prop. 72,the Health Insurance Act.Prop. 72 would insuremore than a millionworking Californians byrequiring employers toeither offer medical ben-efits or pay into a statefund to cover the unin-sured.

VOTER REGISTRATION DEADLINESWhat’s your deadline to regis-ter to vote Bush out? Depends on where you live…

Washington St. Oct. 2Oregon Oct. 12California Oct. 18Hawaii Oct. 4Alaska Oct. 3** Regional elections offices will be openfrom 12 noon to 4p.m. Sunday, Oct. 3.

SIGN UP, ALREADY!To find out how to get involved, talkto your local’s political action coor-dinator or call the president of yourarea’s District Council.Puget Sound District Council:John Munson, (360) 224-3957 (cell)Columbia River District Coun-cil: Jeff Smith, (503) 709-8805 (cell)N. California District Council:Henry Graham, (415) 776-8100(Local 10)S. California District Council:Joe Radisich, (310) 521-8796 (SCDCoffice)

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LOCAL 142 HELPS MEMBERS KEEPTHEIR HOMES

The 300-plus residents of thetight-knit Poamoho Camp communi-ty are looking forward to buying theirhomes instead of losing them, thanksto their own determination andstrategic help from ILWU Local 142.

Poamoho is an old pineapple plan-tation camp run by Del Monte for itsemployees. Most of the residents areLocal 142 pineapple members, theirfamilies and retirees. The camp sits on30 acres out of 2,200 leased by DelMonte from the Galbraith estate nearWahaiwa on the island of Oahu.

Del Monte told Poamoho residentsin February 2004 that they would haveto move by the end of June. The com-pany planned to let the lease expire,demolish their homes and return theland to the estate. The notice surprisedand dismayed the residents.

“Many of the people living atPoamoho grew up here, just like me,”said Boyd Isnec, chair of the ILWUUnit at Del Monte. “We know eachother and have a bond. Even thoughthe camp is along the main highway,it’s still a little secluded and lets uspreserve our country lifestyle withgardens, chickens and other animals.”

The place has a unique spirit,said Haunani Tyrell, who also wasraised there.

“Poamoho was a great place togrow up,” Tyrell said. “We kids couldgo into anyone’s yard, help ourselvesto a fruit, play with the animals, talkstory. Everyone treated us kids liketheir own family even though we were

of many different cultures. There’s noplace like Poamoho. I can’t imagine itgone. It holds so many fond memoriesfor me. My roots are there.”

The union helped the Poamohoresidents organize and mobilize polit-ical and community support. Allies inthe state legislature introduced tworesolutions that called on Del Monteto extend the lease until at leastDecember 2005 or provide financialaid so residents could remain inPoamoho. The resolutions also askedthe Galbraith Estate to consider leas-ing the land to either the PoamohoCamp Community Association oranother group of the residents’ choos-ing. Poamoho residents rallied at thestate capitol and testified at a hearingon the resolutions April 2.

A week and a day later, the resi-dents voted to approve an offer bylocal housing developer Peter Savio totake over the lease, buy the land, andthen sell the homes to them. Detailstook some time to work out, but byJune 12, the residents were ready tocelebrate their successful fightagainst their eviction.

At a press conference held beforethe party that day, Community Assn.President Vaeleti Tyrell thanked thestate legislators who introduced theresolutions on their behalf—StateSenate President Robert Bunda, StateReps. Marilyn Lee, Michael Magaoayand Marcus Oshiro—as well as CityCouncil Chair Donovan Dela Cruz andCouncil member Ann Kobayashi. (TheCity and County of Honolulu coversthe whole island of Oahu.)

“Residents have a lot of workahead of us before we are 100 percentsecure in our homes, but we will con-tinue to work with all parties to savethe camp,” Tyrell said.

The residents are studying ways toform a cooperative, because they wanta structure that will let them keep theircommunity and lifestyle, said ILWUInternational Rep. Tracy Takano.

“The community supported thempreserving their lifestyle and housing,and they feel they shouldn’t let theplace become something for profit,”Takano said.

Though the ILWU has experienceconverting plantation camps intoaffordable housing, the Poamoho proj-ect will be challenging, he said. Theunion is helping the residents findfinancing and find their way throughthe maze of permits and paperworkneeded to upgrade the 1930s-erahomes.—Voice of the ILWU and Dispatcher staff reports

HAWAII IBU STRIKES TO WINHawaiian Tug & Barge/Young

Brothers played hardball with theInlandboatmen’s Union when con-tract talks began in early May. Theykept it up until the old contractexpired June 30 and the 60 IBU mem-bers who run the islands’ lifelinewalked out on strike. Four days ofpickets changed the game. The compa-ny agreed to a new deal that gavemembers the extra time off they need-ed for safety, kept the crew size at asafe level and preserved medical care.

“We have a fair agreement now,”negotiating team chair Kenny Hosaid. “We’re just looking forward toworking hard and making this prof-itable for us and for the company.”

The IBU members at HTB/YBcrew the tugs that assist ships in thePort of Honolulu and tow the bargesthat carry goods to and amongHawaii’s outer islands. Everythingfrom rice to cars to toilet paper comesto Honolulu on ships and then getstransferred to barges for transport toMaui, Kauai, Molokai, Lanai and theBig Island.

Tug crews work hard in harshconditions for days at a stretch.

“Our members routinely dealwith huge, heavy cargoes and some ofthe largest ships in the world,” said

Jonathan Lono Kane, the IBU’sHawaii Regional Director. “Our chan-nels are well-known for their danger-ous currents and strong winds andHawaii is under small-craft warnings300 days of the year.”

Working tugboats is not a nine-to-five job, Kane added. Once on aboat, crew members can be at sea fortwo or three days, then go back toport, turn around and go out again.Sometimes they go as much as twomonths without real time off. Thiscreates safety hazards, Ho said.

“We’re dealing with MotherNature and heavy equipment, some-times working around the clock fordays on end. People get injured,” hesaid.

In these conditions, members’safety and well-being depends on ade-quate rest time. For every day at sea,they accumulate time off, and increas-ing the accumulation rate became theunion’s top negotiating goal.

The time off in HTB/YB’s last,best and final offer fell far short of theunion’s demands. The company alsoproposed cutting one crew member,which would create another threat tosafety, and making several unaccept-able changes in work rules. Not oneIBU member voted for the offer.

During their four days on strike,the HTB/YB workers enjoyed “unreal”support, Ho said.

“All different unions were drop-ping off food and water and walkingthe lines with us. The ILWU long-shore brothers showed solidarity. Wealso had the ILWU International,AFL-CIO affiliate unions and build-ing trades members with us,” he said.

The four-year deal worked outduring the strike provides six hours ofaccumulated time off for each eighthours worked, an increase of twohours over the old rate. It maintainsthe six-person crew and the employer-paid health benefits, though a co-paywill kick in if costs rise more than 32percent. It includes a small pensionincrease after the first year, and cleansup some troublesome work rules.

Union members voted 42-1 toaccept the deal early on the morningof July 4, and returned to workimmediately.

—Marcy Rein

Puget Sound Arbitrator Randy Vekich waded into the 20-foot-long bin ofapproximately 300,000 postcards sent in by people vying for one of the 3,000new casual positions at the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach. With thelottery drawing, held at the offices of the Port of Los Angeles Aug. 19, thePacific Maritime Association, the longshore employer group, finally conceded,although only partially, to longshore Local 13’s demands for more registeredworkers and casuals. One thousand current casuals will also be elevated to“B” registration over the next couple of months as part of the agreement.

“This represents the largest influx of new longshore workers at one time inthe history of the ILWU,” said Local 13 President Dave Arian. “But it’s still notenough to handle all the cargo coming our way.”

Despite industry projections of 10 to 20 percent growth each year at thetwin port complex, and despite Local 13’s constant requests for an expandedworkforce, the PMA waited to act until labor shortages backed up cargo han-dling and left ships at anchor out in the harbor for days awaiting available workgangs. Then PMA officials told the media they were surprised by the surge, asif its member companies hadn’t booked all those containers on their shipsmonths in advance.

Area arbitrators from up and down the Coast took turns pulling batches ofpostcards. The cards were then given a sequential order and the first 3,000lucky names were posted on the ILWU and PMA web sites and at the localunion halls. They are to be called up about 200 at a time for training and test-ing in lashing, UTR driving and general safety procedures.

Another nearly 15,000 cards were drawn and ordered to replace those in thefirst batch who may not pass the requirements and to be a pool to draw on inthe future as retirements and expanded work make new casuals necessary.

—Steve Stallone

6 • July-August 2004

LONGSHORE LOTTERY

Poamoho resident Randy Sanborn at the rally and press conference the com-munity held at the Hawaii State Capitol April 2, 2004.

Tom Warren

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• 7July-August 2004

ITF DOCKERS’ SECTION MEETS IN SINGAPORE

Dockworkers fromaround the world spenttwo days at theInternational Trans-port Workers’ Federa-0tion (ITF) Dockers’Section Con-ference inSingapore July 13 and14 making plans todefeat port privatiza-tion, protect seafarers’shore leave and ensurethe new maritime secu-rity system would notde-unionize seaports.

The ITF, represent-ing 5 million transportworkers from 600unions in 140 coun-tries, including theILWU in the U.S. andCanada, has struggledfor more than a centuryfor worker rights.ILWU Internationalofficers attended theconference, includingPresident Jim Spinosa,Vice President BobMcEllrath and Secre-tary-Treasurer Willie Adams. CoastCommitteeman Ray Ortiz Jr. and RayFamilathe, ILWU Director ofInternational Affairs, also represent-ed the union.

“There’s nothing better than look-ing your brothers and sisters right inthe eye,” Familathe said of the confer-ence. “Not only to hear what they haveto say, but to feel it, because the effectsof globalization throughout the worldare horrendous, and it’s good to beable to not only listen to someone, butto feel their frustration first hand.”

At the dockers’ conference the ITFresolved to fight “ports of conven-ience,” that is employer attempts tode-unionize longshore work, and newinternational security rules that re-strict sailors’ shore leave, makingthem virtual prisoners aboard theirvessels.

The UN’s International MaritimeOrganization recently passed theInternational Ship and Port Security(ISPS) Code, a measure that tightensport security and imposes strict securi-ty guidelines on ships and sailors. TheIMO wrote the code in response to the9-11 attacks and it came into force July1, 2004. The IMO dedicated this year’sWorld Maritime Day, Sept. 30, to mar-itime security. For the ITF, WorldMaritime Day is dedicated to promot-ing dockers’ and seafarers’ rights.

ITF General Secretary DavidCockroft met with the seven interna-tional ship owners’ associations.Together ship owners and the ITFwill meet with U.S. ambassadors orconsulates to find ways to ensure sea-farers’ rights to shore leave.

“The world of shipping is united inits concern that innocent seafarers arebeing treated like terrorists,” Cockroftsaid in his statement. “Bizarrely, thisis happening just as the new ISPSCode has recognized their vital role atthe heart of maritime security. Shoreleave is essential for the physical andmental health of seafarers.”

While the ITF supports the newsafety regulations under the code, itopposes any effort made by ports,governments or shipping lines to useit to de-unionize ports and lock-downseafarers on their ships.

The ITF promises a vigorouscampaign against port deregulationplans that could force dock workersinto a race to the bottom in wages andconditions.

“The ITF started this campaignagainst ports of convenience to dealwith problems of privatization, which

displaces registered longshore work-ers with casual labor,” Familathesaid. “Unchecked, it could wipe outthe standards of health and safetyand allow the use of unskilled,untrained casual labor on the docksthat we fought against throughoutour history.”

This process, the ITF says, couldturn ships’ crew into dockers andreduce dockers to casual laborers. TheITF spent more than five decadesfighting the effects of the “flag of con-venience” (FoC) scheme steamshipcompanies imposed on seafarers short-ly after WWII. Steamship companiesregistered their vessels in foreigncountries with lax registration andlabor laws. This corroded labor stan-dards aboard ships. Union sailors wereundercut by non-union ships. Steam-ship companies claimed they wouldhave to re-flag or go out of business.For many sailors, the ancient craft ofseafaring was reduced to a temp jobaboard a floating sweatshop.

These same companies wouldimpose this on longshore workersworldwide if they got the chance. Butmany FoC seafarers organized them-selves with help from the ITF andmany sailors now have ITF-approvedlabor agreements.

The ITF defines a port of conven-ience by a number of factors, includ-ing whether workers have the right toform effective unions; whether theUN’s International Labor Organiza-tion conventions providing for themaintenance of a registry of dockworkers and the protection of theirjobs and the establishment of worksafety codes with worker input is fol-lowed; and if there are seafarers ornon-union dockers handling cargo.

Now, according to the ITF, somecountries want to use the WTO toderegulate ports. This has been triedat the Tanjung Pelepas terminal inMalaysia, where dockers were casual-ized. Dockers at the port in Singapore,just a couple of miles away, soon feltthe crunch as shipping companiesMaersk-Sealand and Evergreenswitched some work from Singapore toTanjung, causing layoffs in Singapore.The result was clear—casualizationcreated downward pressure on wagesand work standards. The ILWU dele-gation met with Singapore dockersand compared working conditions.

“This is this kind of informationthe employers do not want us toshare,” Familathe said. “They thinkthe oceans separate us. That’s why

it’s important we have regional meet-ings to exchange information.”

—Tom Price

DEMONSTRATORS DENOUNCESWEATSHOP SUPPLIERS TO LEVI

STRAUSS, WAL-MART

Workers who make Levi’s jeansfor Wal-Mart in Haiti want to join aunion. A score of anti-sweatshopactivists marched to the Levi Straussworld headquarters in San FranciscoAug. 5 to ask the company why theyshouldn’t be allowed that right.

“Grupo M is making Levi’s jeansin sweatshops for Wal-Mart. What’sthe lowest common denominator withthese companies? Sweatshops andbusting unions to keep labor costsdown,” Mike Dolan of the CaliforniaCoalition for Fair Trade & HumanRights told the crowd.

Levi Strauss has a code of con-duct for its suppliers, nearly all ofwhich operate overseas. The coderequires the contractors to respectfreedom of association and the rightto bargain collectively. Grupo M got a$23 million loan from the World Bankto build its factory in Haiti. Theterms of the loan require the compa-ny to live up to a similar code. In addi-tion to union rights, protestorsdemanded rehiring of laid-off work-ers, the return of machinery movedout of the plant and an end to compa-ny violence. The workers’ union hasmade similar demands.

Dolan held up a puppet of GrupoM’s manager, Fernando Capellan, andasked Levi Strauss to send out some-one to tell Fernando to live up to thecode. Then Michael Kobori, Director ofLevi’s Global Code of Conduct Dept.,came outside to speak to the demon-strators. Kobori said Levi Strauss toldthe owners of Grupo M to follow thecode, and it was only a matter of timebefore they expected their subcontrac-tor to comply.

“The Labor Council calls on LeviStrauss to adhere to its code and fixthe problem—reinstate the fired work-ers and bargain in good faith with theunion,” San Francisco Labor CouncilSecretary-Treasurer Walter Johnsonsaid to Kobori and the crowd.

“On June 4 soldiers of theDominican Republic army crossed thenearby border and entered the GrupoM compound in Haiti,” said U.C.Berkeley student Kirstin Jackson ofUnited Students Against Sweatshops.“The 15 soldiers entered with the

knowledge of the com-pany security forceand pointed theirguns at 100 workers.Workers were orderedto leave the plant.Soldiers hit one manin the head with a riflebutt and a pregnantwoman was thrown tothe ground.

“Not only do theworkers exist withthis threat of violencedaily, workers livewith horrible laborconditions. They work55-hour weeks andmake $12 a week.That’s two dollars aday.”

—Tom Price

KERRY TO GALLO: BARGAIN WITH UFW

Standing up foranother embattledgroup of workers,Democratic presiden-tial nominee John F.Kerry told GalloWineries to bargain ingood faith with the

United Farm Workers, which repre-sents Gallo workers in Sonoma, Calif.

Gallo’s 400 wine grape workershave been toiling without a contractsince last Nov. 1. Another bargainingsession was scheduled for Aug. 31.

Faced with continued companystonewalling in the latest talks, theUFW launched a nationwide Internetcampaign against Gallo. It generated30,000 letters and e-mails to demand-ing the firm bargain seriously, UFWPresident Arturo Rodriguez said.

The key issues are wages andbenefits for Gallo workers hiredthrough labor contractors, as opposedto those who directly work for thefirm.

UFW’s three-year, now-expiredcontract gave the directly hired work-ers higher wages, health benefits,seniority rights, a grievance and arbi-tration procedure, eight paid holidaysa year and paid vacations. The con-tractor-hired workers got only theraise and grievance and arbitrationprocedures.

The Internet petition signerspromised to boycott Gallo unless itbargains in good faith. The Internetrequest also prompted Kerry’s signedletter. UFW has endorsed Kerry.

“I support collective bargainingagreements that provide fair wages,good health and pension benefits andconditions that improve the lives ofworking families,” the Massachusettssenator wrote Gallo Vice PresidentMatt Gallo.

After praising Gallo Wineries forcontracts with unions “in its otherwinemaking operations,” Kerry said:“I urge you to move quickly to settlethis dispute.”

Reaching agreement with UFWwould give Gallo a positive imagewhich “depends upon a good relation-ship with your workers that reflectsstandards of fairness,” Kerry said. Healso said reaching a pact would helpGallo economically.

“The wine industry should beunited to compete effectively in theworld market, and to achieve thatunity it is critical that Gallo WineCompany value the contributions ofits workers and ensure they have avoice on the job,” Kerry concluded.

UFW’s old Gallo contract tookfive years to reach and was wondespite an illegal, company-sponsoreddecertification campaign.

—Press Associates, Inc.

By Jack Rasmus

Recently United Airlinesannounced it will abandon thepension plans for its 120,000

employees and retirees, provoking anannouncement by U.S. Airways ofplans to withhold pension payments,threats by ATA Airlines and DeltaAirlines to follow suit, and sharplyincreasing the likelihood of a chainreaction of pension plan failures inthe airlines and other industries.

United Airlines’ action directlyfollowed a decision by Congress earlierthis summer not to provide anotherloan to the company at the taxpayers’expense. And it dramatically raises thepossibility that the Pension BenefitGuaranty Corporation (PBGC), a fed-eral corporation that insures pensions,will itself be forced into bankruptcyshould it have to assume the nearly$8.3 billion liability of United’sunfunded pension obligations (plusadditional $10-$20 billion of other air-lines’ liabilities).

The PBGC was created by the Em-ployee Retirement Income SecurityAct of 1974 (ERISA), the main federallegislation regulating pensions. It cur-rently pays retirement benefits formembers of around 3,300 pensionplans that have ended. Though theSecretaries of Labor, Commerce andTreasury comprise its Board ofDirectors, it is not funded by the fed-eral government. Instead, it gets fundsfrom insurance premiums paid byaround 31,000 participating pensionplans, from investments and from theterminated plans.

As a consequence of the Bushadministration’s decision this year toallow companies with unfunded pen-sion plans to forego $80 billion in pay-ments currently due and required bylaw to bring their plans into balance,the PBGC now faces total unfundedpension liabilities of more than $278billion. Should the PBGC itself failunder the imminent, large scale aban-donment of group pension plans byUnited and other corporations, it willcertainly create tremendous politicalpressure on Congress to bail it out. Thiswould mean yet another huge windfallfor corporations at the expense of theAmerican worker and taxpayer.

Less certain, but no less ominous,will be the impact of such a pensioncrisis and string of failures on thealready faltering U.S. economic recov-ery, on a federal budget deficit cur-rently hovering around $500 billionbefore bailout and on a job market indecline once again.

But the current pension crisis isnot the result of short-term negligenceby one company or even one industry.It is a crisis that has been brewing forsome time, one the Bush administra-tion and many U.S. corporations havebeen working quietly to bring about.

THE 401(k) PLAN RIP-OFFAmerican workers have access to

four kinds of pensions. First there isthe public Social Security systemevery worker and employer con-tributes to with payroll taxes. Thenthere are two types of group pensionplans: defined-benefit plans anddefined-contribution plans. And final-ly there are individualized savingsaccounts where employees pay into a401(k), an IRA or a similar personalpension plan. Social Security anddefined-benefit pensions provide aguaranteed level of benefits uponretirement, while defined-contribu-tion and individual savings accountplans do not. The payments made todefined-contribution or individualsavings plans get invested in stocks orbonds. These plans play Wall Streetroulette with retirement funds.

Corporations and financial institu-tions prefer individualized plans be-cause they can rip off high fees andraise administrative costs, lower the

benefit amount at will, borrow fromthe accounts when they want, pressureworkers to buy the company’s ownstock, manipulate the plan’s funds tomake the company appear more prof-itable than it is, and have workersassume all the risks if the company orstock and bond markets fall.

Administrative fees for managinga 401(k) alone can amount to a hugesum and significantly impact a work-er’s retirement. For example, the typ-ical fee to run a 401(k) averages twoto four percent of the worker’s contri-bution. If a worker had $100,000 in a401(k), earning eight percent over 30years, every one percent reduction inthe two to four percent fee chargedwould mean an extra $215,000 in theworker’s account upon retirement.

Employees at Enron Corporation,who lost more than $2 billion whenthat company went bankrupt in 2002,were in a typical 401(k) plan. Enronmanagement pulled its own moneyout when they knew the company wasgoing under, while they “froze” theaccounts for their employees. Theyweren’t allowed to withdraw any-thing until the plan was essentiallybankrupt.

But it’s not just Enron workerswho have been victims of 401(k)plans. Between 2000 and 2002 work-ers who had their money in 401(k)plans saw their retirement savingsshrink on average by 20-40 percent inonly two years.

Individual retirement plans basedon 401(k)s and similar programs arelargely the product of the last 20 years.A series of laws was passed underReagan in 1982 and 1987 that gave abig boost to 401(k)s. At the same timeunder Reagan, a corporate offensivewas launched to break up and disman-tle defined-benefit pension plans.

The result has been a major shiftfrom union and group pension plansto individual retirement accounts.Very few households had 401(k)retirement plans in 1983. By 1995this had risen to 23 percent. Todaymore than 62 percent have such plansdespite the various risks associatedwith them. In contrast, in 1981 morethan 37 percent of all American work-ers were covered under some kind ofgroup pension plan. Today the num-ber is less than 20 percent.

GROUP PENSION PLANS IN THE CROSS-HAIRS

George Bush, U.S. Federal ReserveChair Alan Greenspan and other con-

servatives recently declared that pri-vatizing and breaking up SocialSecurity will be high on the Bushagenda in a second term. SocialSecurity alone will generate $1.1 tril-lion in surplus between now and 2018.Wall Street, the banks and corpora-tions want this huge sum transferredinto 401(k) plans so it will be availableto make offshore investments, to stim-ulate stock market sales and to fundother business ventures.

But the target is not just SocialSecurity. Group pension plans—espe-cially union-negotiated defined bene-fit plans with total funds of $350 bil-lion on hand—are also in the Bush-corporate crosshairs.

For more than two decades, fromReagan through Bush, corporationshave been terminating and undermin-ing group pension plans. Between1974 and 2003, more than 160,000defined benefit plans have gone underin the U.S. Some 65,000 failed between1975 and 1985. Most went down dur-ing the Reagan era of 1981-85, casual-ties of the “runaway shops,” corporaterestructuring and “rust-belting” of thetime.

From 1986 to 2002 another 95,000plans failed, as unionized manufactur-ing jobs continued to disappear due togovernment “free trade” policies andcorporate outsourcing and offshoring.This trend was exacerbated as corpo-rations in newer services and technol-ogy industries increasingly opted for401(k) plans. Courts and legislaturesthroughout the 1990s made 401(k)smore attractive with tax breaks andother advantages—as they simultane-ously continued to tighten the screwson traditional group pension plans.

According to the PBGC, therewere 112,000 defined-benefit pensionplans in 1983. Today there are onlyaround 31,000 such plans.

CURRENT CRISIS IN GROUPPENSION PLANS

Most American workers coveredby plans that went broke over the last20 years lost much of their accruedpensions. They were forced to cashout, receiving only a small part ofwhat they contributed to the plan, orhad to migrate to 401(k)s or otherplans with far fewer benefits.

Yet the current crisis in grouppension plans is far from over. Some45 million workers and retirees are atrisk, a million who are getting theirpension benefits from the PBGC aswell as 44 million in plans insured by

PBGC. Today $1.5 trillion worth ofpension benefits insured by thePBGC are exposed because the PBGCitself is about to go broke.

The corporate-government strate-gy of the last 20 years has succeeded ineliminating so many defined-benefitplans that too few may exist today tokeep the PBGC afloat. As the numberof pension plans participating in thePBGC shrinks, the costs get higher forthose plans remaining. But they canopt out of the PBGC and increasingnumbers have. Nearly 80 percent of alldefined-benefit pension plans partici-pated in the PBGC in 1980. By 2000only 53 percent participated and manymore have dropped out since.

As participation in the PBGCevaporates, the corporation will itselfbecome insolvent at some point. By2004 the deficit in the PBGC fund wasmore than $10 billion and rising at arate of more than $1.5 billion eachmonth.

But this is just a ripple. A pensiontsunami is taking shape and current-ly heading toward the retirementcoastline. In an emergency reportissued June 2004, the PBGC estimat-ed that the more than 1,050 compa-nies with pension plans under-fundedby $50 million or more had a totalunder-funded liability of $278.6 bil-lion at the end of 2003. This comparesto only $18.4 billion as recently as1999, and it doesn’t even includecompanies with under-funded liabili-ties of less than $50 million. The totalunder-funding for all pensions cov-ered by the PBGC came to about $400billion as of the end of 2003.

The Bush response to this grow-ing crisis has been to give corpora-tions with troubled pension plans a“contribution holiday.” In April 2004,it let them change the way they cal-culate their fund obligations for thenext two years. This “paper-fix” movewill save these corporations $80 bil-lion that they would otherwise havehad to put into their pension plans.

THE BUSH-CORPORATE PLAN FORTRANSFORMING SOCIAL SECURITY

& GROUP PENSIONSBush plans to talk up a phony cri-

sis in Social Security and make work-ers believe the false charge that itsfund will run out of money to pay forfuture retirees’ benefits by the end ofthe next decade. Should Bush get asecond term, the next step will be topass legislation early in 2005 allowingworkers to invest their payroll taxdeductions, now going into the SocialSecurity fund, into private personalsavings accounts like 401(k)s andIRAs—all of which will be controlledby corporations and banks.

The same legislation will then pro-vide a carrot and stick. The carrot willoffer workers tax credits for their pay-roll tax deductions they transfer toprivately run 401(k) plans. The stickwill raise retirement levels and lowerSocial Security benefits (because therenow will really be less money in theSocial Security fund). This will makeworkers wait longer to retire andreduce benefits, creating a strongincentive for workers to considerdiverting their payroll tax deductionsfrom Social Security into the tax cred-it-enabled 401(k)s. While there is noreal crisis in Social Security fundingtoday, the Bush plan is to create one.

A real crisis already exists forgroup pension plans, and Bush’s planfor them resembles his Social Securityscheme. First, the current crisis indefined benefit pension plans will beallowed to worsen. Indeed, the Bushadministration has been passing rulesfor the past two years designed tospeed their decline, including one thatprohibits unions from negotiatingchanges to their plans if they are in

8 • July-August 2004

Jim

Sw

anso

n

Pension plans in the corporate crosshairs

continued on page 10

• 9July-August 2004

LANDFILL WORKERS SCORE STRIKING WIN

LIVERMORE, CA—All they wanted wasunion recognition. They struck July16 to get it. Their boss locked themout for two anxious hours. But theworkers at Republic Services’ VascoRoad Landfill held on.

“Every hour we’re out here isfood out of our kids’ mouths,” saidGigi Velles, the office worker at thelandfill. “We want to work. We justwant what’s fair, nothing more andnothing less.”

Three weeks earlier, the workersasked management to recognize ILWUwarehouse Local 6 as their bargainingrepresentative. Fifteen out of 16 work-ers signed a petition demanding thatthe company respect their decision.Florida-based Republic Services,which employs 13,000 people at land-fills and other waste managementsites nationwide, declined to respond.

Most other landfill workers in thearea work under contracts with Local6 or the Teamsters. All do better thanthe Vasco Road crews.

“We need a union because we needbetter wages and medical care to sup-port our families,” said AntonioFlores, a heavy equipment operator.Local 6 members at Altamont Landfill,just five miles away, earn $6.28 perhour more in medical and pensionbenefits alone. Heavy equipment oper-ators in Local 6 make $24.30 per hour.Without a contract to standardize pay,some HEOs at Vasco Road make as lit-tle as $18.62 per hour and others asmuch as $24.39.

Pressure from Republic’s cus-tomers backed up the workers’ directaction for recognition. The cities ofBerkeley, Livermore and Pleasantonall contract with Republic to taketheir non-recyclable garbage. Trashfrom Berkeley accounts for aboutone-fourth of the material dumped atthe Vasco Road site. Berkeley MayorTom Bates wrote to the company sup-porting the workers and offering tohelp verify signatures in a card-checkrecognition process.

“Berkeley is a major customer ofthe landfill and we certainly hope tosee a prompt and fair resolution ofthe issue,” Bates said. Still the com-pany didn’t respond.

By 9 a.m. July 16, trucks cominginto the landfill met a line of pickets.Local 6 members from the East Bayhiring hall marched with the VascoRoad workers, many still in orangesafety vests and coveralls. All but oneof the bargaining unit members onthe job that day joined in.

“Local 6 on strike! Huelga!Huelga!” they yelled. “Turn it around,brother,” they urged the truck drivers.Many union drivers did just that,including the SEIU members whodrive the City of Berkeley trucks. Afteran hour they pulled the picket. Theyreported back to work, only to be toldto go home. Some glum, some defiant,everyone sweating in the hot morning,they headed back to the road andthrew up the line again.

Local 6 Secretary-Treasurer FredPecker had a serious chat with man-agement. By noon, Republic agreed toopen communications with the union.Managers came down to the line andasked each person politely if theywere ready to go back to work.

Two-and-a-half weeks later, thecompany signed a recognition agree-ment.

“We felt real good about it,” saidFrank Stanich, a fueler and preventivemaintenance technician. “Everyonewas glad it came as quick as it did.”

The workers have selected a bar-gaining team and begun developingproposals. A preliminary meetingwith management took place Aug. 24.

—Marcy Rein

PARTNERSHIP OPENS DOOR FORKAISER SECURITY

“We have a voice now,” said veter-an security officer and Kaiser shopsteward Tommy Rudd. “Before theunion, we didn’t.”

Rudd and other members of thesecurity staff at Portland-area Kaisermedical facilities ratified a first con-tract with ILWU security officersLocal 28 July 15, not quite two monthsafter they voted to join the union.

Before their vote, the officersstood out as the last non-union groupat Kaiser in Portland. Their co-work-ers, from RNs to housekeepers, allbelonged to unions that participatedin the health-care giant’s “LaborManagement Partnership.” With thepartnership in place, the officers’drive unrolled without the union-bashing, lying and stalling by man-agement that usually scar electionsand negotiations.

Kaiser forged the partnershipwith five international unions and 26locals in 1997, after a series of bittercontract fights and strikes. The part-nership commits the company to neu-trality in organizing campaigns andcreates labor-management commit-tees at all levels of operation. Inreturn, the unions agreed to helpmarket Kaiser services.

The possibility of more input onthe job appealed to the PortlandKaiser security officers. For yearstheir raises have lagged behind thosegiven to union workers. They’vewatched management heap on newtasks, contract out their work andshuffle their shifts.

“Because we’re not union, every-thing piles on us, and they’re not get-ting input from people doing thework,” organizing committee memberDebi Barbour said during the drive.

For example, the security dis-patcher became a “facilities dispatch-er,” handling calls for housekeeping,biomedical engineering and landscap-ing as well as security. Officers in thefield depend on the dispatcher forinformation and felt this overload putthem at risk.

“People have quit because theyfeel they can’t do the job the way theyneed to,” said Barbour, who is nowchief steward.

Security personnel handle a widerange of situations at the hospital andclinics. They deal with gunshot victimsand distraught family members in theemergency room, investigate theftsand escort patients and staff to theircars in the evening. They do suicidewatch in the psych ward and evenkeep an eye on co-workers who fearabusive spouses or partners may pur-

sue them at work. Still, Kaiser wasdownsizing the security workforce andfilling in the gaps with contractors.

“They were using contractorsmore and our people less,” said JerryHardman, also a shop steward.“Every year there was the fear we’dbe wholesale contracted out.”

Hardman and the other organiz-ing committee members first metwith ILWU International OrganizerVanessa Veselka in February. After afew months of quiet base-building,they got 50 of their 57 co-workerssigned on to a recognition petitionand authorization cards in just two-and-a-half days. As they prepared adelegation to management, the otherunions in the partnership—SEIU, theOregon Federation of Nurses andHealth Professionals and the OregonNurses Association—contacted hospi-tal higher-ups on their behalf.

Management wouldn’t go withcard-check recognition, but agreed tostay neutral and have the FederalMediation and Conciliation Servicerun an election. On May 17, the offi-cers voted 46 to 5 to join Local 28,which also represents the watchmenat the Port of Portland.

Negotiations began less than aweek later, using an “interest-basedbargaining” process. In this type ofnegotiations, the two sides start withissues they agree on, get those off thetable, then move to the harder items.

“Everybody treated everybodyelse in a very professional manner,”Rudd said.

They emerged with a deal thatgave them 13 percent wage increasesover three years and 20 percent hikesin pension. Kaiser agreed to bringsubcontracted work back into theunit and to bring uniform-cleaningin-house, which will save about $100per month for full-time officers.

The security officers voted to jointhe partnership coalition, so they nowenjoy the strong job security protec-tions in the national partnershipagreement. They also sit on commit-tees to hire new people for theirdepartment, make the schedules andplan for a new clinic.

“We will be able to raise securityissues ahead of time, have some sayon safety and let other employeesknow more of what we do,” Barboursaid. “We’re very excited about that.”

—Marcy Rein

CONTRACTING SCAMS TAKE HITSTwo recent decisions by state and

federal agencies slapped courier com-panies that “converted” their employ-ees to independent contractors. Sincethe ILWU began organizing with bike

messengers and drivers five yearsago, several companies have used thisscheme to cut costs and undercutunionizing efforts.

Employers no longer have to payworkers’ comp and disability for con-tractors and the law bars them fromorganizing. Contractors have to paymore taxes and lose the protection ofwage and hour laws. They aren’t evenguaranteed a minimum wage.

King Courier reclassified its work-ers as “independent contractors” inSeptember 2002. King’s bicycle mes-sengers began organizing to protest theconversion. The company responded byfiring four active union supporters.

Three of the four challenged theconversion in filings at the CaliforniaDivision of Labor Standards Enforce-ment, with help from the ILWU. Theyclaimed they were employees and notcontractors and the company owedthem money for missed meal periodsand breaks as well as unpaid equip-ment reimbursements and overtime.The state upheld their claim.

In June 22, 2004 ruling, statehearing officer Thomas Nagle foundKing owed the plaintiffs between$10,000 and $12,000 each and heldthe company, the two owners and theNational Independent ContractorAssociation (NICA) all liable.

King, like many messenger com-panies, turned to NICA to help withtheir contractor “conversion.” NICAruns a payroll service, offers healthinsurance and workers’ comp, andadvises employers on how to run theirscam without running afoul of the law.

King appealed, so the case will goSan Francisco County Superior Court.

“This ruling was a good step, butthere’s a lot of work to be done,” saidAaron LaLonde, one of the plaintiffs.“Workers all over are still havingtheir benefits taken away by cheapemployers who make them ICs, andthat’s a definite move backwards onworkers’ rights.”

First Legal Support Services ille-gally converted its employees to con-tractors to sidestep an ILWU organiz-ing drive in November 2000. Thecompany also threatened, harassedand fired people for supporting theunion, bribed them to renounce it andthreatened to close if it prevailed.

The ILWU filed unfair labor prac-tice charges, which the Board upheld.The administrative law judgedenounced the contractor conver-sions but recommended only mildremedies. He ordered the company tomake workers whole for any lossesthey suffered and post a notice prom-ising not to break the law again.

The union and the Board’sGeneral Counsel appealed to theBoard in Washington, D.C. Theyargued the union had majority sup-port in 2000 and the company’scrimes were so serious it should beordered to bargain a contract.

Two years later, a three-memberNLRB panel returned a party-linedecision. The two Republicanappointees turned down the bargain-ing order on narrow technicalgrounds. The one Democrat arguedstrongly for it.

The AFL-CIO Executive Councilcited this case in its stinging rebuketo the Bush-era Board.

“The Bush Board’s decision inFirst Legal Support Services LLC onJune 30, 2004, telegraphs to employ-ers that they have little to lose whenthey violate workers’ rights,” saidCouncil members in an Aug. 11 state-ment.

Over the nearly four years sinceFirst Legal flouted the law to stop theunion, the original organizing com-mittee members have all resigned orbeen fired. One committed suicide.

—Marcy Rein

Mar

cy R

ein

Several trucks turned around on twisting, treacherous Vasco Road rather thancross the line of landfill workers on strike to get ILWU Local 6 recognized.

Not since the days of Senator JoeMcCarthy have U.S. workersfaced a foe so intent on destroy-

ing and dismantling the Americanlabor movement as the administrationof President George W. Bush. Everyevent, no matter how tragic or per-verse, from Sept. 11th to the Iraq war,is used as an excuse to harass andintimidate working people not only inthis country, but around the world.

From his tax cuts for the rich,free trade policies, and internationalexcursions alienating many formerfriends, Bush has destroyed in a fewyears what took decades to build. Hiswars harming innocent civilians over-

seas and his no-bid contracts for hiscorporate friends are virtually bank-rupting the nation. He has taken theU.S. from the largest budget surplusin history to its largest deficit in his-tory, and then used that as an excuseto shred the social safety net forworking people.

Bush’s policies have done moredamage to the working people andenvironment of this country and theworld in three years than any otheradministration ever dreamed of. Thebig question is, “Can the Americanlabor movement, (and society in gen-eral) survive another four years of hispolicies of war, repression and depres-

sion?” The choice we face this Novem-ber is clear: civilization or barbarism.John Kerry or George W. Bush?

Understanding this, the demo-cratically elected delegates to theILWU’s 32nd International Conven-tion voted last year in San Franciscoto make Bush’s defeat the union’snumber one priority.

The ILWU, in conjunction withthe AFL-CIO and the entireAmerican labor movement, recog-nizes that at this time we must uniteto endorse and support DemocraticSenator John Kerry for President ofthe United States. Kerry’s policiesmay not totally coincide with those ofthe ILWU or the labor movement, butthe alternative is simply too destruc-tive to imagine.

Kerry’s 90 percent AFL-CIO vot-ing record in his 18-year career andhis support for workers’ rights toorganize and card-check recognition inorganizing drives is clear. He opposesthe Bush plan to eliminate overtimepay, he supports ergonomic safeguardson the job, and has co-sponsored legis-lation to outlaw striker replacementand index the minimum wage to infla-tion and extend and improve unem-ployment benefits.

Unlike Bush, Kerry doesn’t sup-port the outsourcing of Americanjobs, and is proposing to eliminate taxbreaks that encourage corporationsto move them overseas. Instead, heproposes utilizing tax policy toencourage the creation of Americanjobs, especially in manufacturing.

One of the most significant of allpolicies facing organized labor andcollective bargaining in general ispreserving existing levels of healthcare benefits negotiated over manyyears. The ILWU’s International

Convention committed support for anational single-payer health care pro-gram, and mandated the union toback other measures necessary toimprove health care coverage foreveryone. John Kerry has committedto making health care affordable forthe vast majority of Americans, farbetter than anything the BushAdministration has proposed. Kerry’sopposition of the Bush’s proposal toprivatize Medicare and push seniorsinto HMOs, as well as his support toexpand prescription drug benefitswithout reducing coverage for thosewho have it in their union contractsis critical.

John Kerry supports expandedfunding for public education, includ-ing higher pay for teachers. He oppos-es the concept of vouchers that arenothing more than a band-aid aidingonly a small segment of society.

While Kerry supports free tradeagreements, he at least says he’llrequire strong labor and environmen-tal standards in all future negotia-tions, another huge difference fromthe Bush Administration.

The labor movement has incorpo-rated a tendency to quickly and easi-ly trade off its endorsements, moneyand volunteers without getting suffi-cient guarantees for its positions inreturn. If Kerry is elected president,the ILWU commits to holding himaccountable for all promises to laborand to push much further, especiallyin issues surrounding health care,outsourcing, port security and freetrade (especially in the upcomingCAFTA agreement).

The ILWU International Execu-tive Board hereby goes on record fullyendorsing the candidacy of John Kerryfor President of the United States.

10 • July-August 2004

financial trouble. And there are thenew arbitrary rules concerning “cash-balance plans.”

Cash-balance plans represent anoffensive recently launched by thelargest corporations with definedbenefit plans. Corporations are usingcash-balance plans to do an end-runaround union-negotiated defined-benefit plans and convert them intodefined contribution plans. Morethan 40 of the 100 largest corpora-tions with defined-benefit plans havegone this route in recent years.

In cash-balance plans, an employ-er credits a worker’s account with twoset amounts each year, one based onsalary and one based on an interestrate pegged to the Treasury bill rate orsome other index. Cash-balance planscan pay out as a lump sum or a month-ly annuity after retirement. Workers(and managers) are given the optionto cash out their benefits before retire-ment, though they almost always takea loss when they do so. Once they cashout they can invest in 401(k)s offeredby the company.

Cashing out weakens the plan byshrinking the total pot of money avail-able and so puts those who don’t cashout at growing risk. This provides anincentive for those initially reluctantto cash out to do so. The result is asnowball effect that hastens thedemise of the plan—just what man-agement wanted from the outset sinceit allows them to save on pension con-tributions and eliminates liabilities.

If all these schemes continue, aneven larger number of defined-benefitplans will become financially unstableand have to be taken over by thePBGC. And as the PBGC’s lossesaccumulate, and stable plans continueto opt out, it will be unable to survivewithout a massive government bail-out. When this point is reached, theBush administration will recommendlegislation similar to that planned forSocial Security—legislation that willallow, or even require, companies andworkers in defined benefit plans totransfer their contributions and/ortheir remaining accrued funds into401(k) and similar individual retire-ment accounts.

The Republicans and conserva-tives in Washington are intent onusing the crisis to provide more hand-outs and subsidies for their corporatefriends at the expense of the public.And they will attempt to use the crisisas an excuse for a radical restructur-ing of the pension system in America.

Jack RasmusNational Writers Union, UAW 1981, AFL-CIOThis article is an excerpt from JackRasmus’s forthcoming book, THEWAR AT HOME: The CorporateOffensive in America From Reagan toBush, which is available for pre-ordering from his website: http://www.kyklosproductions.com,along with offerings of other plays,books, music and video.

PENSION ASSAULT . . . continued from page 8

Statement of Policy: ILWU endorses Kerry for president

The ILWU InternationalExecutive Board, meeting in SanFrancisco Aug. 26 and 27, reviewedthe union’s finances, considered thenew organizing strategies and final-ized plans for the union’s work on theNovember elections.

International Secretary-Treasur-er Willie Adams and the Trusteesrevised the union’s budget to reflectadditional administrative costs thatwere not known at the time theInternational Convention adopted the2004 budget. The increases will most-ly be covered by the per capita of anexpanding membership, especially theregistration of new longshore workers.

The union’s National OrganizingCommittee, overseen by Internation-al Vice President, Mainland BobMcEllrath and International VicePresident, Hawaii Wesley Furtado,has hired back former OrganizingDirector Peter Olney to run the pro-gram again. Olney outlined his depart-ment’s new strategic approach toorganizing.

The program will build on andamplify the power in the ILWU’s cur-rent jurisdictions, selecting targetswhere the union has leverage andwhere it will build further leverage.The International Officers will forman Organizing Committee composedof IEB members and local leadersfrom all areas and divisions to get

their input and support for the pro-gram. The activities will be coordi-nated, going after coastwise targetswhenever possible, and in a disci-plined and accountable fashion.

“We want to go after numbersthat make sense in a program youunderstand and can ask questionsabout,” Olney told the board.

The board backed up its action oflast April endorsing Sen. John Kerryfor President by unanimously passinga Statement of Policy explaining theunion’s support for Kerry (see state-ment below).

Local 63 Secretary Peter Peytonlaid out the union’s plans for theNovember election. The ILWU, in

coordination with the AFL-CIO, willbe sending about 50 members toswing states to help with Kerry’scampaigns there, as well as concen-trating member activity in Oregonand Washington (see story page 5).

Longshore Local 10 andNorthern California area IEB mem-ber Lawrence Thibeaux presented aresolution asking the board toendorse the Million Worker March, anon-partisan demonstration withpro-worker demands scheduled forOct. 17 in Washington, D.C. One ofthe action’s initiators, Local 10Executive Board member ClarenceThomas, argued the case for theunion’s support. The march wouldsupport neither Kerry or Bush,Thomas said, since its wide-rangingdemands of universal health care,workers’ rights and ending the Iraqwar would still be needed no matterwhich one won the election.

Various board members opposedthe motion, arguing that while theysupported the positions of the march,organizing for an October event woulddivert energy and resources from whatthe International Convention decidedwas the union’s number one priority—defeating Bush. The board decisivelyturned down the proposal, and a com-panion one to donate $150,000 toorganizing the march, on a voice vote.

IEB prepares for November election

San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom (left) receives an ILWU hook pin fromInternational Secretary-Treasurer Willie Adams (center) and InternationalPresident Jim Spinosa (right). Newsom stopped by the IEB meeting to thankthe union for its work and support in the effort to defeat George W. Bush.“Keep the faith in this fight,” he urged the board members.

The ILWU Political Action Fund has a goal of raising more than $500,000 for theunion’s work on the November 2004 elections and for contributions to pro-worker candi-dates’ campaigns. The International officers and the Coast Committee are asking allmembers to donate $50 each to the fund. All contributions are voluntary, are not part ofyour union dues or a condition of union membership. You can give more or less than theofficers suggest—all contributions are valued—and there are no reprisals for giving lessor not participating in the union’s political activities. Contributions not tax deductible.

To satisfy federal election laws, please include with your check your name,address, occupation and employer. The ILWU International wants you to list your localnumber and registration number to track participation rates. Retirees are not eligible todonate to the ILWU PAF. Checks should be payable to: ILWU-PAF.

Donations should be sent to: ILWU-PAF, 1188 Franklin St., 4th Floor, S.F., CA 94109

POLITICAL ACTION FUND

Tom

Pric

e

• 11July-August 2004

SAN FRANCISCO—Nearly 200 peoplegathered at longshore Local 10’s hallto remember the first Bloody Thurs-day, exactly 70 years before on July 5,1934. This year the membership alsohonored two ILWU pioneers, BillChester and former Coast ArbitratorSam Kagel.

As the ILWU Drill Team stood atcrisp attention, Local 10 pastPresident Joe Mosely read the procla-mation rededicating the hiring hall inhonor of Chester, who served his unionduring five decades and was the firstBlack International officer. Later on,Local 10 President Henry Grahamread the proclamation making Kagelan honorary member of the local.

Benjamin Johnson, son of Local 10stalwart Joe Johnson and a Local 10B-registrant, spoke from the steps ofthe hall, with silhouettes of the fallenworkers drawn on the sidewalk below.

“I’m proud to stand where myfather stood for so many years honor-ing Bloody Thurdsay,” Johnson said.“He always believed the union showedthat character, not color, was the crite-ria for respectability.”

—Tom Price

SAN PEDRO—Peck Park in San Pedrobrimmed with ILWU families for theremembrance of Bloody ThursdayJuly 5. As many as 3,000 turned out,according to the event chair, long-shore Local 13’s Dave Serrato.

It was the 70th anniversary,Serrato said, but still a family eventwith rides, clowns, old time carshows, music and a few speeches.Guests included LA Mayor Hahn andhis sister Janice Hahn, City Councilmember for the harbor area.

“Ruth Brown volunteered, andthe Local 13 ID casual longshoreworkers worked hard for the event,”Serrato said. “But Bloody Thursdayisn’t about the food, it’s not about thebands—it’s about the men who diedand the old timers who built thisunion. I believe this is the strongestunion in the world, and it’s up to usto hold it together, because it lookslike times are coming back to 1934.”

—Tom Price

PORTLAND—The Columbia Riverarea’s annual Bloody Thursday pic-nic, sponsored by longshore Local 8,drew record numbers this year. Closeto 500 members, friends and relationsfrom Locals 8, 5, 21, 40, 92 and thePensioners’ Club came down to his-toric Oaks Amusement Park inSoutheast Portland. Built by the

Columbia River, the park features aroller-skating rink built in 1912 aswell as an assortment of rides.

Picnickers took time out from thefun and the spread of hot dogs, chili,watermelon, corn-on-the-cob and icecream for a short ceremony. The arealocals traditionally honor the memory ofthe Bloody Thursday martyrs by float-ing a wreath of flowers down the river.

State Rep. Frank Shields (D-Portland) offered an invocation beforethe wreath-tossing. Oregon AFL-CIOSecretary-Treasurer Brad Witt spokebriefly, as did Columbia RiverPensioners’ Chair Evertt Roberts andtwo veterans of the ’34 strike, RussellEspedel and Marvin Ricks. Robertsnoted some similarities between condi-tions today and those in the years lead-ing up to the Big Strike.

“The party in charge now is usingalmost the same rhetoric Hoover did,and he didn’t produce anything,”Roberts said. “Lots of people are mak-ing a lot of money, lots are making verylittle and some aren’t making any.”

–MER

SEATTLE—ILWU locals in the Seattleregion remembered Bloody Thursdaywith a family outing at Vasa Park onthe shores of Lake Sammamish.Nearly 400 members, friends, fami-lies and retirees attended.

Pensioner Del Castle, who edits the

Rusty Hook newsletter, spoke on thehistory of Bloody Thursday. Joe Wenzlspoke on how important it was to winthe next presidential election. LeonaCunningham raffled off an ILWU quiltshe made and donated the proceeds tothe Plateau Outreach charity.

Then the families had a picnicwhile jazz, bluegrass and countrybands played. The park provides facil-ities for children and launch sites forboats.

“We had one of the greatestturnouts in years,” longshore Local 19Recording Secretary Curt Cunning-ham said. “We had a lot of volunteersand we all pulled together so no onehad to do all the work. That’s becauseof the solidarity among us.”

—Tom Price

STOCKTON—Longshore Local 54 mar-ried the annual commemoration ofBloody Thursday with a small-townsummer dream, marking the day witha picnic at the Stockton Ports base-ball game.

The Ports, Class A affiliate of theTexas Rangers, play for the CaliforniaLeague in old Oak Park, where thelush lawns and spreading trees evoke amovie set.

The local reserved the park’s bar-beque area and bought tickets for 400people. Local members chowed downon tri-tip and hot dogs, baked beans

and potato salad with family andfriends before the game.

“We want our families involved inour union life more, and we want tobe part of the community,” Local 54Secretary-Treasurer Gene Davenportsaid. “We haven’t been too communi-ty-oriented before, and we want peo-ple to know we’re here and we wantgood things for the community.”

“July 5 has been an important dayin the history of the longshoremensince 1934,” the ballpark announcernoted in the sixth inning, but thehome team hit the field before hecould explain why.

The blistering day faded to pleas-ant warmth as the cotton-candy sun-set came on. Davenport raffled offmore than 100 items, from BloodyThursday T-shirts to balls and hatsand bobble-head dolls. Sitting in thebarbeque area put you close enoughto hear the “thunk” of the ball hittinggloves as the players tossed it aroundthe diamond.

The Ports blew a five-run lead inthe seventh when the Visalia Oakshammered them with an eight-runinning. But the home team battledback, scoring two in the eighth andclinching in the bottom of the ninth.Stockton won 11-10 after three hoursand 43 minutes of play.

—Marcy Rein

Former Coast Arbitrator Sam Kagel (second from right) is made an honorary member of longshore Local 10 at the BayArea’s Bloody Thursday commemoration. He is flanked by Local 10 President Henry Graham (left) Bay Area PensionersPresident Joe Mosley (second from left) and Local 10 Secretary-Treasurer John Castanho.

RECENT RETIREES: Local 4—Anthony Hertz, Edward Quick;Local 8—Theodore Perez Local 10—James Neal, Lawrence Prince, James P.McKenna, Gary Rueb, Frank Cooper,Addison Hicks Jr.; Local 13—Ray A.Peyton, Donald Spainhower, James E.Wheeler, Alex Naranjo Jr., Frank E.Sanchez, Kendall Tucker, William Moore,Raul S. Ruiz, Ronie Hernandez, GilbertGuerrao, Alvin Patow, Rigoberto B.Martinez, Vince Kordich, Jose M. Madrid,Antonio Gentile, Robet Gjetley, ThadMalone Jr.; Local 19—Jerry Hoover,Adelbert Mills, Charles Keppner, SamuelPuailihau Jr, Gary E. Johnson, DelbertBates; Local 21—Clyde Wilcox; Local23—Walter Rendell III, Frank Caliguri,David Bartholomew, Harvey Wilson;Local 25—Fred Norg; Local 34—Howard Simpson, James Wenster, RobertBombarde; Local 40—Richard Campbell,Robert King; Local 50—August Mason;Local 51—Dennis Whitney; Local 52—Edward Tillman, John M. Caso, Joseph P.Sullivan; Local 63—David J. Crockett,Michael Downs, Claude Harrison, FrankEstes, Frank J. Franko, J. D. Wade,Franklin McMahon, Shirley Brief; Local91—Shirlie Hornes; Local 92—GaryDuback, Russell Fowler; Local 94—Daniel Potts, William Strube, AntonioMorales, Gene Hilbert, Charles Huggins,

Lloyd Gadlin, Mario Albano; Local 98—William Jurasin, Blaine Woodward.

DECEASED:Local 4—Fugman William; Local 8—Orville Rose (June), John Sukurski(Deloris), Henry Lunde (Margaret),Michael Fisch (Agnes), Harold Rogers,John Candioto (Julia), Frank Pryor(Dolores), Farrel Hanson (Annette), BrianCarver (Deborah), Norman Lowrey,Bernard Jefferies; Local 10—PurtleCook (Myrtle), Joe Falcon (Albina),Joseph Sorentino (Marti), Andy Avaloz(Louise), Warren Cuthbert, Manuel de Sa(Elaine), Palmris Scardacci, Albert Fuller(Mattie), Willie Cross (Dorothy), KennethMollart (Canzada), John Howard (JohnJr.), Terry Nichols (Chelsea and Tyler),Charles Irwin, Willie McDonald; Local12—Hoy Hoover (Esther); Local 13—Gary Mann (Aletha), Nick Fistanich(Mary), Izidor Brunac (Dorothy), RogerNieto (Lucy), Lyle Putty (Annette),Herman Moreno (Jeanne), Francisco Z.Hernandez (Juanita), Frank Miller(Marion), Albert Brown (Janice), HarryLynn (Ana), John Gilbert (Judy), RichardMraz (Adriana), John Kanehl (Donna),Peter Tolich (Ruth), Harry Collins(Nancy), Robert C. Collins, Elmer Jones,Marijan Pesic (Rina), Saunoa Toavalu(Faatapepe); Local 14—Orlando Rossiter

(Judith); Local 19—Joe Waldean (OlineMargrete), Robert Grifin (Yolanda),Lester Dorris (Gloria), Steven Popovitch,George Skinner Sr. (Diana), Herbert Lenz(Irene); Local 21—James Herron,Gilbert Kimber (Evelyn), James Herron(Samuel), Archie Brown (Ora); Local23—David Lane (Calleen), Phillip Lelli(Joann), Albert Foundation (Martina),Allen Tuller (Magdalena); Local 27—Clair Newell (Anna), Loren Cooke(Cherrie), Leroy Jagger (Helene); Local29—John Wirick (Marguerite), AlbertUrso (Bonnie); Local 34—ArthurRosenbrock (Jeanette), Henry Cirincione(Mary), Francis Zmak (Sonja), RalphFarbman, Donald Matsui (Ronnie),Stephen Ryan; Local 52—Carl Marsh(Emily); Local 63—Edward Kohal(Carmen), Paul Sweeney (Brianna),Edward Kohal (Carmen), Paul Aranda;Local 75—Jack Kefalas (Frances), HenryReaves (Bessie); Local 91—LawrenceYoung (Lucille); Local 92—Dick Cule(Julia), Norman Davis (Ruth); Local94—Corwin Wilson (Dorothy); Local98—Lee Adams (Gloria), Boyd Smith(Geraldine). (Survivors in parenthesis.)

DECEASED SURVIVORSLocal 4—Margaret Counts, BettySavage; Local 8—Elizabeth Bergendahl,Elsie Trump, Mildred Lusk, Ellen Scott,

Doris Potter, Edna Sommerset; Local10—Frances Cadei, Janice Plousha, JoyceGardner, Naomi Kielar, Emily Olivieri,Waltraud Curtis, Freddie Stewart, RubyBilliard, Georgina Hill, Luella Malone,Stella Huls, Maggie Davis, DorisBordelon, Alice Bayliss, Anita Jenkins,Rose Granzella; Local 12—MarinaYount; Local 13—Ursula Midwin,Magdalena Thoensen, Manuela Ortega,Edith Harrison, Phyllis Hennessy, SylviaHoulden, Pearl Pelt, Alta Dixon, GeneHopkins, Lorine Reynolds, EstherCalderon; Local 19—Helen McAuliff,Charlotte O’Brien, Jennie Jorgensen,Phyllis Vitalich, Gloria Andersen,Geraldine Earle, Winnie Johnson; Local21—Mary Wines, Loris Moon; Local23—Ruth Booth; Local 24—CeciliaRattie; Local 27—Mary Beausoleil;Local 34—Lucille Logsdon, Faye Scherz,Velma Yows, Gilberta Rodgers; Local40—Dora Foster, Thelma Lind, EllenThornton, Jenevieve Harvey; Local 46—Lucy Majeno, Sophia Perez, AngelinaOnopa; Local 52—Bernice Saul, EmmaGrandy, Charlotta Galanti; Local 54—Juanita Hearty; Local 63—Lou Williams,Dorothy Aune, Eugenia Argento; Local91—Sharon Crist; Local 94—GoldieArbuckle, Matilda Flesia, Ardale Wieland,Ann Ellis.

Longshore retired, deceased and survivors

Bloody Thursday remembered along the Coast

12 • July-August 2004

A Helping Hand...

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