Workers at APM Terminals on Pier 400 in the Port of Los Angeles were among International Longshore and Warehouse members paying tribute to George Floyd Tuesday, June 9, on the day he was laid to rest. (Photo: Robin Doyno via ILWU)
Jun 19, 2020
Longshoremen and women across the West Coast are set to use "the loudest voice" they have on Friday to mark Juneteenth and support the national uprising against systemic racism with an eight-hour work stoppage along the western seabord's 29 ports.
\u201cThis Friday!\n\nWest Coast Longshoremen \n(In the Bay Area- mostly Black)\n\nwill shut down TWENTY-NINE West Coast ports in solidarity w stopping police terror\n\nThis is a 1 day work stoppage, but it can put the idea out there for prolonged strikes w specific demands.\n\nill be speaking\u201d— Boots Riley (@Boots Riley) 1592356823
The action, announced Monday by the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU), will affect over 10,000 workers in Washington, Oregon, and California and include stoppages at the Ports of Los Angeles and Oakland.
Oakland workers will also take part in a march from the port to city hall, local KPIX 5 reported.
Motherboarddescribed the action, which is set to include over 10,000 workers, as "the largest work stoppage that one of the country's most powerful unions has undertaken in more than a decade."
ILWU International president Willie Adams pointed to the importance of Friday's actions.
"Juneteenth has long been recognized by the African-American community, but for many others it was unknown until now--as our nation, in the wake of George Floyd's murder, refocuses on ways to address ongoing, systemic racial injustice," Adams said in a statement. "Thousands of dockworkers will stop work for the first shift on June 19, 2020, to show their commitment to the cause of racial equality and social justice."
A statement from ILWU Local 13 on Monday drew attention to the union's long history of standing for justice.
"We have desegregated our membership, we condemned the internment of Japanese Americans during WWII, we appointed the Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr. honorary membership, we opposed the wars in the East and Middle East, we supported Occupy Wall Street, we fought for immigrant rights, and we have opposed policy brutality," said the union.
The group framed stoppages over those injustices as their best tactic to advocate for change. "When workers stop working, it is the loudest voice we have," ILWU Local 13 said.
Friday's coordinated action is poised to go down in the history books, Gabriel Prawl, past president of ILWU Local 52, told Seattle's KIRO 7.
"This is a historic action because it's going to be the first time any labor organization has taken any action to stop work on Juneteenth," said Prawl.
"There's a difference between a movement and a moment," Prawl added. "A moment means we do something for a day and it's over. A movement requires sacrifice, and that's what we're doing as longshoremen. We're sacrificing our day's wages to make this happen."
Join Us: News for people demanding a better world
Common Dreams is powered by optimists who believe in the power of informed and engaged citizens to ignite and enact change to make the world a better place. We're hundreds of thousands strong, but every single supporter makes the difference. Your contribution supports this bold media model—free, independent, and dedicated to reporting the facts every day. Stand with us in the fight for economic equality, social justice, human rights, and a more sustainable future. As a people-powered nonprofit news outlet, we cover the issues the corporate media never will. |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
Longshoremen and women across the West Coast are set to use "the loudest voice" they have on Friday to mark Juneteenth and support the national uprising against systemic racism with an eight-hour work stoppage along the western seabord's 29 ports.
\u201cThis Friday!\n\nWest Coast Longshoremen \n(In the Bay Area- mostly Black)\n\nwill shut down TWENTY-NINE West Coast ports in solidarity w stopping police terror\n\nThis is a 1 day work stoppage, but it can put the idea out there for prolonged strikes w specific demands.\n\nill be speaking\u201d— Boots Riley (@Boots Riley) 1592356823
The action, announced Monday by the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU), will affect over 10,000 workers in Washington, Oregon, and California and include stoppages at the Ports of Los Angeles and Oakland.
Oakland workers will also take part in a march from the port to city hall, local KPIX 5 reported.
Motherboarddescribed the action, which is set to include over 10,000 workers, as "the largest work stoppage that one of the country's most powerful unions has undertaken in more than a decade."
ILWU International president Willie Adams pointed to the importance of Friday's actions.
"Juneteenth has long been recognized by the African-American community, but for many others it was unknown until now--as our nation, in the wake of George Floyd's murder, refocuses on ways to address ongoing, systemic racial injustice," Adams said in a statement. "Thousands of dockworkers will stop work for the first shift on June 19, 2020, to show their commitment to the cause of racial equality and social justice."
A statement from ILWU Local 13 on Monday drew attention to the union's long history of standing for justice.
"We have desegregated our membership, we condemned the internment of Japanese Americans during WWII, we appointed the Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr. honorary membership, we opposed the wars in the East and Middle East, we supported Occupy Wall Street, we fought for immigrant rights, and we have opposed policy brutality," said the union.
The group framed stoppages over those injustices as their best tactic to advocate for change. "When workers stop working, it is the loudest voice we have," ILWU Local 13 said.
Friday's coordinated action is poised to go down in the history books, Gabriel Prawl, past president of ILWU Local 52, told Seattle's KIRO 7.
"This is a historic action because it's going to be the first time any labor organization has taken any action to stop work on Juneteenth," said Prawl.
"There's a difference between a movement and a moment," Prawl added. "A moment means we do something for a day and it's over. A movement requires sacrifice, and that's what we're doing as longshoremen. We're sacrificing our day's wages to make this happen."
Longshoremen and women across the West Coast are set to use "the loudest voice" they have on Friday to mark Juneteenth and support the national uprising against systemic racism with an eight-hour work stoppage along the western seabord's 29 ports.
\u201cThis Friday!\n\nWest Coast Longshoremen \n(In the Bay Area- mostly Black)\n\nwill shut down TWENTY-NINE West Coast ports in solidarity w stopping police terror\n\nThis is a 1 day work stoppage, but it can put the idea out there for prolonged strikes w specific demands.\n\nill be speaking\u201d— Boots Riley (@Boots Riley) 1592356823
The action, announced Monday by the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU), will affect over 10,000 workers in Washington, Oregon, and California and include stoppages at the Ports of Los Angeles and Oakland.
Oakland workers will also take part in a march from the port to city hall, local KPIX 5 reported.
Motherboarddescribed the action, which is set to include over 10,000 workers, as "the largest work stoppage that one of the country's most powerful unions has undertaken in more than a decade."
ILWU International president Willie Adams pointed to the importance of Friday's actions.
"Juneteenth has long been recognized by the African-American community, but for many others it was unknown until now--as our nation, in the wake of George Floyd's murder, refocuses on ways to address ongoing, systemic racial injustice," Adams said in a statement. "Thousands of dockworkers will stop work for the first shift on June 19, 2020, to show their commitment to the cause of racial equality and social justice."
A statement from ILWU Local 13 on Monday drew attention to the union's long history of standing for justice.
"We have desegregated our membership, we condemned the internment of Japanese Americans during WWII, we appointed the Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr. honorary membership, we opposed the wars in the East and Middle East, we supported Occupy Wall Street, we fought for immigrant rights, and we have opposed policy brutality," said the union.
The group framed stoppages over those injustices as their best tactic to advocate for change. "When workers stop working, it is the loudest voice we have," ILWU Local 13 said.
Friday's coordinated action is poised to go down in the history books, Gabriel Prawl, past president of ILWU Local 52, told Seattle's KIRO 7.
"This is a historic action because it's going to be the first time any labor organization has taken any action to stop work on Juneteenth," said Prawl.
"There's a difference between a movement and a moment," Prawl added. "A moment means we do something for a day and it's over. A movement requires sacrifice, and that's what we're doing as longshoremen. We're sacrificing our day's wages to make this happen."
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.