Foxreno.com - May 1, 2008

OAKLAND, Calif. -- Anti-war protesters bolstered by support from the powerful longshoreman's union began a May Day shut down of the Port Of Oakland -- the nation's fifth busiest point of entry -- early Thursday with brief skirmishes with police, who were hoping to avoid the kind of violent confrontation that left several people injured in 2003.

Jack Heyman, a Bay Area International Longshore and Warehouse Union spokesman, said workers hoped to idle traffic at all the West Coast ports by not reporting to their jobs.

"The longshoremen have decided they're not working so everything is going to be idle on the coast," Heyman said. "We hope that sends a strong message to the White House and to Congress to bring this war to an end."

Anti-war activists from a group called "Direct Action" began blocking gates at the port around 6:30 a.m. and were being carefully watched by police. Even in the early stages, police and protesters had engaged in shoving matches.

Meanwhile, the longshoremen were gathering for a rally in San Francisco.

At the start of the war in Iraq, hundreds of protesters staged a demonstration at the port and union members joined in. Without warning, police in riot gear opened fire, wounding several protesters and longshoremen with wooden dowels, rubber bullets, pellet bags and concussion grenades.

Oakland police have promised a much more measured response on Friday.

The port was not the only target of the strike. Union officials said truckers have also agreed to join in the one-day shutdown on the West Coast and along the East and Gulf coasts.

Pacific Maritime Association spokesman Steve Getzug said thousands of dockworkers did not show up to work Thursday morning, leaving ships and thousands of truck drivers idle at ports from Long Beach to Seattle.

Workers were expected to return to work for the start of the Thursday evening shift.

The West Coast ports are the nation's principal gateway for cargo container traffic from the Far East.

J. Craig Shearman, a spokesman for the National Retail Federation, says shippers and exporters planned for the slowdown that coincides with May Day and expected no significant, long-term disruptions.

Even a one-day work stoppage will have a dramatic impact on businesses throughout the state.

"Any kind of delay that would impact the flow of commerce would be a disruption and could be a hardship on some folks when you think about the fact that the economy isn't doing so well right now," said Marilyn Sundfur, a port spokeswoman.

Other activities are scheduled throughout the Bay Area including members of "Youth Together" which is planning an after-school rally and was calling on Bay Area students to skip school on Friday.

Activists are also using May Day for protests targeting the nation's immigration policies.

"We're foreseeing African American workers, Asian workers, U.S.- born workers, Latino workers, Everyone's really coming together behind this," said Sarah Norr, of the East Bay Alliance of the immigration protests.

Meanwhile, at internet giant Google's world headquarters in Mountain View a noon-time rally was scheduled to show support for better working conditions for the company's janitors.