Committee to Defend the ILWU

JOIN THE SOLIDARITY CARAVAN

Theres a war going on against dockworkers and their families in Longview, Washingtonmembers of International Longshore & Warehouse Union ILWU Local 21. Theyve been arrested, beaten and their homes have been raided. They are fighting to protect their union jobs against EGT Export Grain Terminal, who are seeking to break the ILWUs coast-wide contract established after the 1934 San Francisco general strike and West Coast Maritime strike.
EGT, and their majority partner, Bunge NA, are trying to bust the ILWU, one of the most militant, progressive unions in the U.S. EGT sued the Port of Longview, claiming they would not recognize ILWU jurisdiction. On Sept. 8 hundreds of angry longshore workers charged through the gates of the new EGT grain export terminal at Longview. Newspapers reported that grain was dumped from a 107-car train, and a cyclone fence torn down. At a time when national union membership has dropped to a 70 year low of 11.9%, and private sector workers in unions fell to 6.9%, this is part of the 1%s attack to drive us all to the bottom. Even at these low membership rates, nationally, median weekly wages for union members are $917, compared to $717 for workers not in unions. The 1% not only wants to take away that extra $200 from the remaining 14.7 million, who are unionized, but wants to destroy all unions, especially the militant ILWU, to keep us from organizing to take back whats rightfully ours. The ILWU is a democratic, bottom-up union, with an activist rank and file, which has a strong history of support for community issues, standing up against

TO LONGVIEW, WASHINGTON
Apartheid South Africa, against the war in Iraq, for the Wisconsin state workers struggle against union busting. ILWU Local 10 backed community protests about the police murder of Oscar Grant. They honored picket lines in Occupy Oaklands call for a 11/2 General Strike and 12/12 Port Shutdown. Local 10 has pledged full support for the Longview struggle, and is funding for a bus to Longview for the Caravan when the grain ship comes in. We need to resist when the 1% pushes their austerity measures down the throats of the 99%, or when they treat immigrant workers as scapegoats for the financial crisis. We not only demand jobs for the unemployed, but union wages and benefits. If EGT is successful in its attack on the ILWU in Longview, it will have a ripple effect on all port workers on the West Coast. Lets raise the union banner high: An injury to one is an injury to all.

DEFEND ILWU LOCAL 21 AGAINST UNION BUSTING BY EGT

HOW YOU CAN HELP DEFEND LONGVIEW ILWU LOCAL 21 LONGSHORE WORKERS
EGT is part of the 1%an international partnership between U.S.-based Bunge North America, Japanese-based Itochu, and Korean-based STX Pan Ocean. A ship hoping to load scab cargo from the EGT terminal is expected to arrive in Longview early in 2012. The Committee to Defend the ILWU and the San Francisco Labor Council are helping to organize a Caravan from Bay Area to Longview in early 2012, for when the ship comes in. Support actions are being organized up and down the West Coast, nationally and internationally. The Committee to Defend the ILWU is an independent committee of rank and file trade unionists including ILWU members. If you want to be part of this critical working class struggle, please fill out and send in the coupon below. We need you and your organization to endorse, participate and contribute to this important campaign of solidarity.

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committeetodefendILWU@yahoo.com

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Yes! I Want To Defend ILWU

Local 21 Longshore Workers in Longview, Washington | An Injury to One is an Injury to All

JOIN THE CARAVAN to Longview

I am interested in: ( ) Outreach ( ) Local pickets ( ) Caravan To Longview, WA ( ) Media/Communication Assistance

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Mail to: P.O. Box 720027 San Francisco, CA 94172

or email to: committeetodefendILWU@yahoo.com

(labor donated)