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Washington Report on Middle East Affairs, July 2008, pages 63-64 Waging Peace “No Peace, No Work” Action Closes West Coast Ports
SAN FRANCISCO’S picturesque waterfront promenade was filled with members of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) who walked off their jobs May 1 to protest the ongoing wars and occupation of Iraq and Afghanistan. Joined by members of local unions, labor councils, anti-war and other social justice organizations—and with a police motorcycle escort—the crowd of more than 1,000 marched from Fisherman’s Wharf to Justin Herman Plaza. In the palm-tree-lined esplanade filled with tourists and shoppers, they listened to speeches from former Georgia Democratic congresswoman Cynthia McKinney, actor and political activist Danny Glover, activist and congressional candidate Cindy Sheehan, and ILWU executive board member Clarence Thomas, who visited Iraq in October 2003 to observe the Iraqi workers’ plight. Along the West Coast, 29 ports from San Diego to Vancouver, Washington were closed for eight hours during the ILWU May Day work stoppage action that was spearheaded by Vietnam War veterans among the ILWU members. The San Francisco longshoremen organization was the first labor union to call for an end to the war and immediate withdrawal of troops from Iraq. Its representatives have spoken at anti-war rallies for more than five years. —Elaine Pasquini |
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