[Marxism] Longshoreman spark May Day shutdown at many West Coast ports

[Walter Lippmann]

Here in Los Angeles the LA Times says there were 8500 at the march but it
seemed more than that to me, but certainly not many tens of thousands. 
It was predominantly Latino in composition, and didn't feel as determined 
or angry as the march two years ago. Without any legislation in congress,
either to be backed or to be opposed, there was no specific focus to the
protest beside the general support for legal rights for immigrant workers.
Most of the left groups had tables. Perhaps the only group I did NOT see
was the Communist Party, USA, though they did participate in the March.
Lots of mariachi music. I did not hear any of the speeches. There were
some signs in the march opposed to the war in Iraq, and a few Che flags.
The police were on their good behavior. The Chamber of Commerce endorsed
the march. They feel - correctly - that the raids are bad for business.
The struggle continues. 


Walter Lippmann

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-lamayday-0501-pg,0,3674502.photogallery
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LAND LINE
"The Business Magazine for Professional Truckers"

http://www.landlinemag.com/todays_news/Daily/2008/Apr08/042808/050108-01.htm


May 1, 2008
Longshoreman spark May Day shutdown at many West Coast ports

Several major U.S. ports along the West Coast were partially or fully closed
for business Thursday, May 1, as part of an organized protest.

The May Day shutdown closed terminals at California ports in San Diego, Los
Angeles, Long Beach, Oakland and San Francisco. Ports in Seattle and Tacoma,
WA, also closed. The shutdown had been planned by some labor organizations
for weeks, and most ports were warned about the shut down.

News stories and labor organizations listed a host of reasons for the port
shutdown, ranging from the International Longshore & Warehouse Union's
stance to end the war in Iraq to truck drivers' frustrations with
ever-rising diesel prices and calls for transparency in fuel surcharge
agreements.

The Los Angeles Times noted that "all 29 ports" along the West Coast were
shut down, while the Oakland Tribune reported that some protesters tried to
stop trucks and convince them to shut down as well.

Brian Coddington spent Thursday at the Port of Seattle, where all container
operations were shuttered.

Coddington is a spokesman for the Pacific Maritime Association, which
represents terminal operators at most major ports along the West Coast. An
arbitrator told longshoreman union officials this week that port workers
would have to come to work Thursday.

Thursday's shutdown "severely disappointed" terminal operators, Coddington
said.

"This has a significant impact well beyond just the ports," Coddington told
Land Line. "Any stoppage at the ports works against millions of Americans
whose jobs are tied directly or indirectly to the cargo."

The shutdown was treated like a holiday in Los Angeles, said Arley Baker,
spokesman for the Port of Los Angeles.

"Obviously when you have a situation where a terminal operator is opened for
business but employees don't show up and cargo isn't moving across the
docks, there is some economic impact," Baker said.

"I can tell you that it's something, in terms of the cargo, we'll be able to
mitigate and get back on track fairly quickly. The larger concern is the
impression this gives to shippers and retailers who are looking for
certainty in terms of their decisions on where they ship cargo."

More than 10,000 containers are loaded and unloaded in West Coast ports
every day, Coddington said, meaning Thursday's eight-hour day shift could
affect the U.S. economy by tens of millions of dollars.

"A protest at all West Coast ports would affect more than half of the
nation's waterborne trade," read a statement issued by the Port of Long
Beach.

One source familiar with fuel surcharge issues, who spoke to Land Line on
the condition of anonymity, said East Coast drivers have continued protests
for fuel surcharges, while the West Coast shutdowns were closely tied to
longshoremen labor groups.

Truck drivers nationally, the source said, are supporting each other.

"With all this stuff going on, I think people are finally going to
understand something's wrong here," the source said.

The International Longshore & Warehouse Union issued a statement regarding
the port shutdown.

"Big foreign corporations that control global shipping aren't loyal or
accountable to any country," Union President Bob McEllrath said. "For them
it's all about making money. But longshore workers are different. We're
loyal to America, and we won't stand by while our country, our troops and
our economy are destroyed by a war that's bankrupting us to the tune of 3
trillion dollars. It's time to stand up, and we're doing our part today."

In Georgia, trucks lined up outside the gates of the Port of Savannah to
show support for port shutdowns throughout the West Coast.

Keith Liverman, OOIDA member from Rincon, GA, told Land Line that mainstream
media attention has begun.

"We're not shutting down, but we are showing support for the guys on the
West Coast," Liverman said.

Liverman said previous shutdowns in 1997 and 2003 lasted for weeks at a
time, but were less organized than the Savannah driver's April 3 shutdown.

Truckers in Georgia and nationally are better organized, and have clear
goals to pursue transparency in jobs involving fuel surcharges.

"That was our goal - to get everybody's attention," Liverman said. "I think
we succeeded."

Others were less inspired.

"We certainly take it very seriously and are disappointed that membership
chose not to show up today," the Pacific Maritime Association's Coddington
said. "Our expectation is that this is a day-shift activity and the night
shift will come to work as scheduled."

- By Charlie Morasch, staff writer
charlie_morasch at landlinemag.com

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WALTER LIPPMANN, CubaNews
Los Angeles, California
http://www.walterlippmann.com
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/CubaNews/
"Cuba - Un Paraiso bajo el bloqueo"
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