The Sacramento Central Labor Council adopted a resolution, July 16, protesting the intervention by Homeland Security Director Tom Ridge in the International Longshore and Warehouse Union’s contract negotiations.
Delegates to the Labor Council told David Ballsley and Eddie Holland, Port of Sacramento longshore workers and members of ILWU Local 18, that they would support the local in any action in Sacramento.
The Labor Council’s resolution reads:
“Whereas, the right to strike and withhold one’s labor is a basic right for working people in the United States and,
“Whereas, the ILWU has been warned by Homeland Security Director Tom Ridge not to strike and,
“Whereas, government intervention has been used in the past to prevent workers and their unions from using their right to withhold their labor and,
“Whereas, the imposition of the Taft-Hartley against the ILWU longshore workers would be an attack on all workers and their right to strike and,
“Whereas, the employers have historically and in this case used the Taft-Hartley in order to weaken organized labor,
“Therefore be it resolved the Sacramento Central Labor Council protests the threat by Home Security Director Tom Ridge against the ILWU, and furthermore we oppose the use of the Taft-Hartley against the ILWU and will take action in solidarity with the ILWU if this legislation is used against their right to strike and finally,
“The Sacramento Central Labor Council will forward this statement to the ILWU, and to all other affiliated labor organizations for concurrence, and to our U.S. congressional representatives as well as the President of the United States.”
The author can be reached at ncalview@igc.org
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