ILWU-IBU Oil Spill Response Workers on Strike Over Unfair Labor Practices
http://blog.aflcio.org/2008/08/21/oil-spill-response-workers-on-strike-for-first-contract/

Oil Spill Response Workers on Strike Over Unfair Labor Practices

by Mike Hall, Aug 21, 2008

Oil spill response workers, members of the Inlandboatmen's Union
(IBU), are on the picket line this week in Tacoma, Wash., striking
over what they say is illegal discrimination and intimidation by their
employer, the Marine Spill Response Corp. (MSRC).

In 2006, the workers voted to join the IBU, an affiliate of the
International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU). But the company
has dragged its feet in negotiations and failed to reach a fair
contract with the boatmen. The workers also say they have been
threatened with violence.

The oil spill workers are among the many employees across the country
who face employer harassment, threats and intimidation even after they
form unions. The proposed Employee Free Choice Act would allow for
mediation and arbitration for such first-contract disputes because
one-third of the time, private-sector employers do not negotiate a
first contract.

In June, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) office in Seattle

Oaklanders Deserve a Lifetime of Clean Air & Good Jobs. We Can't Wait
Any Longer!

* Port drivers work 11-14 hours a day for as little as $8 an hour.
* Port drivers do not receive health or pension benefits.
* While waiting in line, engines idle, and drivers and residents
breathe cancer causing fumes.
* Due to diesel pollution, West Oaklanders' risk of cancer is
more than double that of other Bay Area residents.

Join the Coalition for Clean & Safe Ports, the California Labor
Federation & Teamsters General President James P. Hoffa

Demonstrate Support for Good Jobs and Clean Air at the Port of Oakland

March and Rally in Support of a Comprehensive Clean Trucks Program
Tuesday, July 22nd, 2:00pm
Meet at Oakland Marriott, 10th Street and Broadway

For more information contact:
Aditi Vaidya at (510)893-7106 ext. 324, Aditi@workingeastbay.org
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Call For Solidarity By Istanbul Dockyard Strike

To: solidarity.limteris@googlemail.com
Sent: Thursday, June 12, 2008 11:35 PM
Subject: URGENT CALL! STRIKE AT THE DOCYARDS IN ISTANBUL!

URGENT CALL! STRIKE AT THE DOCYARDS IN ISTANBUL!

The dockyard workers of Tuzla/Istanbul go on strike on the 16th of June against labour-related accidents. The strike is called by the dockyard workers' union LIMTER-IS.
The number of the dockyard workers, who died at accidents, has risen to 98 with the latest accident at Selahattin Arslan Dockyard, where 35 year old Ihsan Turhan lost his life.
In Turkey, 900 workers loose their lives every year in labour-related accidents in different sectors. 55 thousand workers have died in the last 60 years with the same reason and 145 thousand workers have become disabled.
The dockyard workers have been struggling against the increasing accidents under the leadership of their union Limter-Is for many years. This struggle has become even more intensified during the last months and in February the dockers went on a two-day-strike which found an important echo inside and outside the country.
In face of the fact that the dockyards' bosses and the government did not fulfil the promises given during that strike, Limter-Is has called for strike once again to solve the question.

http://www.hurriyet.com.tr/english/turkey/9191910.asp?gid=231&sz=32455

Turkish shipyard workers hold one-day strike

Shipyard workers in Turkey are holding a one-day strike to protest working conditions on Monday in Istanbul's Tuzla district, where 21 workers were killed in accidents in the last nine months.

A number of labor unions, non-governmental organizations and intellectuals extended full support to the strike.

Limter-Is union, a member of the Confederation of Revolutionary Workers’ Unions (DISK), started the strike on Monday and many intellectuals, the pro-Kurdish DTP, Labor Party, the Socialist Platform, Social Freedom Platform attend the strike in a demonstration of support.

A total of 97 workers have died at the shipyard since 1992. The sub-contracting system and noncompliance with occupational safety regulations in dock operations are seen as the major causes of deaths in Tuzla.

Turkey, one of the most promising shipbuilding countries in the world, has the world's fastest growth rate in the sector. Turkey's shipbuilding exports had reached $2 billion in 2007 from $1.4 billion a year earlier.

Photo: AA

Whereas, the San Francisco Labor Council has a longstanding position calling for an immediate end to the US war and occupation in Iraq; therefore be it

Resolved, that the San Francisco Labor Council supports the decision of the Longshore Caucus of the International Longshore & Warehouse Union (ILWU) to stop work for 8 hours on Thursday, May 1, 2008 -- International Workers Day -- at all West Coast ports, to demand "an immediate end to the war and occupation in Iraq and Afghanistan and the withdrawal of US troops from the Middle East." The Council supports the decision of Branch 214 of the National Association of Letter Carriers to observe 2 minutes of silence in all carrier stations at 8:15 a.m. on May 1st, in solidarity with the ILWU action and to express their opposition to the war in Iraq; and be it further

Resolved, that the San Francisco Labor Council encourages other unions to follow ILWU's call for a 'No Peace-No Work Holiday' or other labor actions on May Day, to express their opposition to the US wars and occupations in the Middle East; and be it finally

Resolved, that the San Francisco Labor Council send a letter of congratulations to ILWU President Bob McEllrath for his union's bold initiative to use the occasion of International Workers Day to stop work to stop the war.

Dear Brother McEllrath

No Peace No Work ­ May Day Action

I have been informed by the sacked Liverpool Dockworkers of ILWU’S decision to stop work at all of Americas West Coast Ports on the 1st May in protest against the ongoing wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

On behalf of my Union can I send a message of thanks and support to the ILWU and all the Longshoremen and women, who will be participating in this historic and significant action.

Without a doubt the ILWU’S action is in the very best traditions of the Labour and Trade Union Movement; and should act as a clarion call to governments the world over that the time has come to end these divisive wars once and for all.

The 1st of May is International Workers’ Day when working class men and women remember, commemorate and celebrate the past industrial and political struggles of our forefathers and mothers.

The decision of the ILWU to use this May Day as an anti-war protest will go down in the annals of Workers’ History, and I congratulate you, your Union and all the members for making such a stand.

In Solidarity,
Len McCluskey
Assistant General Secretary

March 13, 2008 - By The JOURNAL of COMMERCE ONLINE

The president of the Pacific Maritime Association on Thursday said West Coast waterfront employers intend to turn down a request by the International Longshore and Warehouse Union to call an eight-hour stop-work meeting on the first work shift May 1 to protest the Iraq war.

"Contractually, they've gone down the right avenue, but we are not going to agree to it," said James McKenna, PMA president. "PMA will respond to the union shortly."

The ILWU locals are permitted to call one stop-work meeting each month to discuss union business. However, the stop-work meetings must be conducted during the second work shift, when cargo activities at most ports are lightest.

If the ILWU wishes to change the stop-work meeting time, the union must request permission. The ILWU has submitted its request in plenty of time to comply with the waterfront contract, McKenna said.

Nevertheless, employers do not want all West Coast ports to be shut down for eight hours during the busy day shift on May 1, he said.

ilwu.org

ILWU MayDay Site

Longshore Caucus calls for Iraq war protest at ports on May 1.

Nearly one hundred Longshore Caucus delegates voted on February 8 to support a resolution calling for an eight-hour "stop-work" meeting during the day-shift on Thursday, May 1 at ports in CA, OR and WA to protest the war by calling for the immediate, safe return of U.S. troops from Iraq.

“The Caucus has spoken on this important issue and I’ve notified the employers about our plans for 'stop work' meetings on May 1,” said ILWU International President Bob McEllrath.

Caucus delegates, including several military veterans, spoke passionately about the importance of supporting the troops by bringing them home safely and ending the War in Iraq. Concerns were also raised about the growing cost of the war that has threatened funding for domestic needs, including education and healthcare. Nobel prize-winning economist Joseph Stiglitz and Harvard economist Linda J. Bilmes recently estimated that the true cost of the War in Iraq to American taxpayers will exceed 3 trillion dollars--a figure they describe as "conservative."

The union’s International Executive Board recently endorsed Barack Obama, citing his opposition to the War in Iraq as one of the key factors in the union's decision-making process.

Text of ILWU letter to AFL-CIO President John Sweeney, dated February 22, 2008

"ILWU delegates recently concluded a two-week caucus where we reached agreement on our approach for bargaining a new Pacific Coast Longshore Contract that expires on July 1, 2008. We expect talks to begin sometime in March and will keep you informed of developments.

"One of the resolutions adopted by caucus delegates called on longshore workers to stop work during the day shift on May 1, 2008, to express their opposition to the war in Iraq.

"We're writing to inform you of this action, and inquire if other AFL-CIO affiliates are also planning to participate in similar events on May 1 to honor labor history and express support for the troops by bringing them home safely. We would appreciate your assistance with spreading word about this May 1 action."

In solidarity,

Robert McEllrath, ILWU International President

In a major step for the U.S. labor movement, the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) has announced that it will shut down West Coast ports on May 1, to demand an immediate end to the war and occupation in Iraq and Afghanistan and the withdrawal of U.S. troops from the Middle East. In a February 22 letter to AFL-CIO president John Sweeney, ILWU International president Robert McEllrath reported that at a recent coast-wide union meeting, “One of the resolutions adopted by caucus delegates called on longshore workers to stop work during the day shift on May 1, 2008 to express their opposition to the war in Iraq.”

This is the first time in decades that an American union has decided to undertake industrial action against a U.S. war. It is doubly important that this mobilization of labor’s power is to take place on May Day, the international workers day, which is not honored in the U.S. Moreover, the resolution voted by the ILWU delegates opposes not only the hugely unpopular war in Iraq, but also the war and occupation of Afghanistan (which Democratic candidates Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama and Republican John McCain all want to expand). The motion to shut down the ports also demands the withdrawal of U.S. troops from the entire region, including the oil sheikdoms of the strategically important Persian/Arab Gulf.