Dockworkers shut West Coast ports against war

Thousands of dock workers at 29 West Coast ports defied their employers and an arbitrator's ruling and brought cargo operations to a standstill for eight hours on May 1 in a protest against the war in Iraq. Ports from Long Beach, CA, to Seattle, WA, that handle more than half of US waterborne trade ground to a halt. The International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) said some 10,000 workers joined the anti-war protest, spurred in part by its belief that big shipping companies are profiting from the war. "Longshore workers are standing down on the job and standing up for America," said ILWU International President Bob McEllrath. "We're supporting the troops and telling politicians in Washington that it's time to end the war in Iraq." "Big foreign corporations that control global shipping aren't loyal or accountable to any country," said McEllrath. "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." The stand-down at ports including Los Angeles and Long Beach -- which combined handle 40% of the imported goods arriving in the United States each year -- idled ships and cranes, stranded thousands of big rigs and halted movement of about 10,000 containers during the eight-hour day shift. In Seattle, WA, several hundred demonstrators were joined by longshoremen for a protest march along the waterfront. Some protesters held signs saying "No Iraq War" and "Stop the war on immigrants and Iraq." In San Francisco, CA, dockworkers were among nearly 1,000 protesters who staged a peaceful march on the waterfront, some carrying signs that proclaimed the day a "No Peace, No Work Holiday." "This war is like all wars," Robert Cavalli, president of dockworkers union Local 34 said at a rally after the march. "It kills the sons and daughters of workers." In Portland, OR, chants of "No peace, no work," echoed from the Eastbank Esplanade around noon, where 70 dockworkers set 800 carnations afloat in the Willamette River, commemorating the deaths of more than 4,000 U.S. soldiers who have died. "A lot of longshore workers are veterans and have family and friends in the war, and they're fed up," said Jennifer Sargent, a local union spokeswoman. "They're taking a patriotic stand here." The show of force by the ILWU ended as workers reported for the night shift at Southern California's twin ports. The union's 25,000 members decided in early January to stand down on May 1. Their day off came despite an arbitrator's order the day before that they report to work. That order followed a Pacific Maritime Assn. complaint about the planned action, which it said violated contract obligations. "We're concerned. We thought these kinds of old tricks were a thing of the past," said Steve Getzug, spokesman for the association. Shipping experts said the economic costs of the walk-out was limited.