A message to Teachers and all Public Workers: Labor is under attack from Republican-run Wisconsin and Ohio to Democrat-run Massachusetts and California. And we're beginning to fight back. On April 4th when working people across this country demonstrated in solidarity with Wisconsin and other state workers, the longshore workers of ILWU Local 10 did what they've always done – put into practice their union's slogan, "An injury to one is an injury to all." San Francisco and Oakland ports were shut down for 24 hours in solidarity with Wisconsin.
They did it in 1978 for the workers of Chile under the gun of Pinochet's bloody military dictatorship, refusing to load bombs on a ship bound for Chile.*** They did it in 1984 for the oppressed people of apartheid South Africa and according to Nelson Mandela helped bring down that racist regime. *** They did it in 2008 by shutting down all West Coast ports to demand an end to the imperialist wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. *** And last year they did it in solidarity with the Palestinian people being massacred in Gaza, and protesting against the police killing in Oakland of Oscar Grant, an innocent young black man. ILWU Local 10 has been the moral compass of the American labor movement.
Now the employers' group, Pacific Maritime Association, is trying to put an end to workers' solidarity actions through a court suit. Their bullying tactics must be stopped. ILWU Local 10 and the SF Labor Council are organizing a broad defense campaign. Defend organized labor, civil liberties and immigrant workers' rights!
Please have your organization send its endorsement to Committee to Defend ILWU Local 10. defendilwulocal10@gmail.com https://sites.google.com/site/defendilwulocal10/
