By Luke Gianni, Staff Writer - October 5, 2007, Daily Democrat

Jack Heyman, executive board member of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union, leads a rallying call outside the Yolo County Superior Court Thursday morning in protest of the case against two union port workers who were arrested while working in West Sacramento earlier this year. The two men were arraigned Thursday. (Matthew Henderson/Democrat)You ready to fight?

Damn right!

That was the angry call and defiant verbal return of more than 150 International Longshore and Warehouse Union members, mostly from San Francisco who gathered outside the Yolo County courthouse in protest of an arraignment hearing of two of their fellow members charged with obstruction of justice.

The ILWU members say the two men were wrongfully assaulted and arrested by police in the port of West Sacramento in August.

The two black port workers, Aaron Harrison and Jason Ruffin, who are members of the International Longshoreman and Warehouse Union, were returning after lunch to a port terminal in West Sacramento where they were working on Aug. 23, when, according to union officials, they were

By Matthew Henderson - October 4, 2007, Daily Democrat

A union protest in front of the Yolo County Courthouse broke up around 9:30 a.m. Thursday without any reported incidents.  Members of the local International Longshore and Warehouse Union arrived from the Bay Area around 8:30 a.m. to make a series of  statements about the alleged attack on two black longshoremen with mace as well as their subsequent jailing for trespassing near the Port of Sacramento.

Membership of the ILWU Local No. 10 has accused West Sacramento police and private security guards of attacking the two longshoremen.

The protest brought in union members from as far away as Portland, Ore. However, most were bused in from the Port of Oakland by union organizers.

Union officials said two members, Jason Ruffin and Aaron Harrison, were returning from lunch to a terminal near the port when private security guards asked to search their car. The members responded by asking to see the regulation the guards were entitled to search under, and called a business agent from the union.

The guards were "enraged," according to the union's Web site, and called police. the union workers then were "assaulted, dragged from the car, maced and jailed," the site stated. A hearing in the matter is scheduled for later in October

On August 23, West Sacramento cops and private SSA security guards viciously attacked, two Local 10 brothers returning to work after lunch on the SSA terminal. When the guards demanded to search the car, the brothers asked to see the MARSEC (maritime security) reg and called the Local 10 business agent. This enraged the guards who called the cops. While talking by phone to BA MacKay and without provocation, they were assaulted, dragged from the car, maced and jailed, charged with “trespassing”. How the hell can a longshoreman be “trespassing”, after returning to work at the terminal.

They’d already shown PMA ID and a driver’s license. This is racial profiling and police brutality. The longshoremen were black and the cops white. Such is the brutal face of the “war on terror” on the docks. It’ll get worse unless we take united action to defend these brothers. An injury to two is an injury to all! Local 10 has called for a protest rally at the Woodland courthouse to defend these brothers. Ship Clerks’ Local 34 and the Portland longshore Local 8, are joining in the protest. We need to have all the locals on the Coast participating as we did for the successful campaign in the Neptune Jade protest for the Liverpool dockers in front of the Oakland courthouse. So far the ILWU International has remained silent on this critical struggle, just as we go into contract negotiations.

Sept. 4, 2007
President Tom Clark - Local 10, ILWU AFL-CIO
To the President, Executive Board & Membership of Local 10;

It has come to my attention that the police have once again showed their ugly heads in the attack of two (2) members of Local 10. In this case, as I understand it, in this case it was the port police that turned to violence against our brothers attempting to earn a living for their family. Historically it has been this arm of the government ( the police ) that has been used in the initial attack on groups of workers. They come in and attack the workers and afterwards they file charges against the same workers. It is at this point that the another arm of the government ( the courts ) takes over the assault the on these workers.

This tactic is all to familiar. I was the same one employed on a group of workers in Charleston, SC in January of the year 2000. They later became known as the "Charleston Five".

I am deeply concerned with this most recent attack on our Brothers of Local 10. After finding out about this aggressive act, I started the process of informing the membership of ILA, Local 1422. Everyone that I have spoken to express much outrage. Local 1422 condemns this despicable act and in solid support of Local 10. Local 10 was there for the Charleston Five and Local 1422 will be there for you. "An injustice there is an injustice everywhere".

All of us in organized labor must unite to fight against this kind of organized attack on all working people. Local 1422 will be monitoring this situation very closely. It was through worldwide solidarity that victory was achieved in the Charleston Five struggle. Together we can win this struggle.

In Solidarity,
Leonard Riley

Emergency Executive Board Meeting Tuesday September 4!

On August 23, West Sacramento police and private security guards viciously attacked, maced and arrested two Local 10 brothers, Jason Ruffin #101168 and Aaron Harrison #101167, coming back to work on the SSA terminal after lunch.

When the guards insisted on searching their car, the longshoremen questioned their authority to do so and called the Local 10 business agent.

While one was talking on the phone to the BA and without provocation, they were assaulted, dragged from the car, handcuffed, jailed and charged with “trespassing” and “obstructing a police officer”.

How the hell can longshoremen be “trespassing”, returning to work after lunch, having already shown their PMA ID cards to guards at the terminal. Was it racial profiling because the two longshoremen were black?

Authorities citing a new maritime security regulation that permits vehicle inspection doesn’t mean maritime workers can’t question it. It doesn’t take away a union member’s right to call his union business agent, And it certainly doesn’t give authorities, private or government, the right to assault and arrest you without provocation.