LONGSHORE WORKERS SHOW
THE
WAY - Editorial
(The
following article is from
the March 16-31,
2008
issue of People's Voice, Canada's leading communist newspaper. Articles
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People's Voice
Editorial, March 16-31, 2008
A
resolution adopted by an
overwhelming majority of delegates at the International Longshore &
Warehouse Union's annual Pacific Coast convention has called on
dockworkers to stop work during the day shift on May 1, to express
opposition to the war in Iraq and Afghanistan. Delegates urged other
unions, including affiliates of the AFL-CIO and the Change to Win
Coalition, to unite in similar events to end the war and bring U.S.
troops home from the Middle East.
One immediate response was a
decision by the 2,700-member Letter Carriers Union in San Francisco to
observe two minutes of silence in all carrier stations at 8:15 am on
May 1, in honour of International Workers' Day, and in solidarity with
the ILWU stop-work action against the war.
This ILWU resolution did
not come out of thin air. West coast longshore workers have a proud
record of militant and radical politics, dating back to the days of
Harry Bridges. ILWU's historic actions include the refusal of Local 10
longshoremen to load bombs for the military dictatorship in Chile in
1978 and military cargo to the Salvadoran military dictatorship in
1981. This time, the union points to even wider dangers, such as the
threat of U.S. air strikes in Iran, or possible military intervention
in Syria or Pakistan.
By vowing to halt the flow of
goods and profits, longshore workers are upping the ante at a crucial
time. We salute their resolution and we urge the Canadian labour
movement to consider similar bold moves to challenge the war-makers in
the Harper Tory government.
Found
at:
http://www.peoplesvoice.ca/articleprint14/07.%20LONGSHORE_WORKERS_SHOW_THE_WAY_-_Editorial.html