A third-party proposal to shut down terminals on December 12 has not been vetted by union’s democratic process

SAN FRANCISCO, CA (November 22, 2011) — In response to recent third-party announcements that community activists will attempt to shut down various West Coast marine terminals on December 12, 2011, the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) sent a memo to its 15,000 longshore members and leaders emphasizing the union’s internal democratic process and stating its rejection of third-party calls for job actions that have not been sanctioned by its Officers or voted on by member representatives. The memo stated in part, “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 relates to our dispute with EGT in Longview.”

Robert McEllrath, ILWU International President, said:

“The ILWU shares the Occupy Wall Street movement’s concerns about corporate abuses and the future of the middle class, but we must be clear that any actions organized by outside groups, including the proposed December 12 shutdown of various terminals on the West Coast, have not been vetted by our union’s democratically led process. Only ILWU members or their elected representatives can authorize job actions on behalf of the union, and any decisions made by groups outside of the union’s democratic process do not hold water, regardless of the intent.”

Several announcements have been made by online activists claiming that they intend to shut down terminals in support of the ILWU’s primary dispute with EGT, a multinational grain export terminal in Longview, WA, that broke off talks with the ILWU after nine months of negotiations.

Leal Sundet, ILWU Coast Committeeman, said:

“The ILWU has received strong public support as people find out about multinational EGT’s attempts to undermine American working conditions. While people are inspired to support the fight for good jobs at EGT, the fact remains that our plan to reach an agreement with EGT is led solely by the longshore workers who have worked grain on the West Coast for the past eight decades.”

From an ILWU Coast Longshore Division news release