In an article called “Occupy Protests Calls for West Coast Ports Shutdown; Protestors will have to attempt Dec. 12 shutdown without ILWU support,” the Journal of Commerce reported today:
The Occupy Movement is calling for a shutdown of all West Coast ports on Dec. 12, but they will have to pursue their goal without the cooperation of the powerful International Longshore and Warehouse Union.
The ILWU voiced support for the Oakland protest, but a letter from the ILWU Coast Committee in San Francisco to all longshore locals on the West Coast shows a position shift:
“To be clear, the ILWU, the Coast Longshore Division and Local 21 are not coordinating independently or in conjunction with any self-proclaimed organization or group to shut down any port or terminal, particularly as it related to our dispute with EGT in Longview (Wash).”
The ILWU Coast Committee cautioned its members that if a similar situation develops on Dec. 12, longshoremen should stand by in a safe area and await a decision by employers to call for an arbitrator. Furthermore, the committee reminded the longhsormen that public demonstrations are not picket lines under the waterfront contract.