Posted on 09/01/2013 6:48:21 PM PDT by carlo3b
Longshore Union Quits the AFL-CIO
In a surprise move, the 40,000-member International Longshore and Warehouse Union announced its disaffiliation from the AFL-CIO yesterday. The news comes just a week before the federation is set to hold its national convention in Los Angeles, the nation’s biggest port and an ILWU stronghold..
The ILWU, known for its militant traditions and progressive politics, has been drawn into turf wars with other unions in recent years—particularly in the grain export terminals of the Pacific Northwest, where longshore workers have been locked in a high-stakes battle over master contract standards since 2011. - See more at: http://www.labornotes.org/2013/08/longshore-union-quits-afl-cio#sthash.WUvgy2OU.5GNjJk01.dpuf
(Excerpt) Read more at labornotes.org ...
Pretty much. With all the corruption in Mexico, the port owners and shipping companies still hesitate to move all the business, but the more of a PITA that the ILWU becomes the more attractive it is.
Jim, I believe you are a Northern Cal guy, so you’ll get this analogy. As California Universities go, there is liberal, then there is Berkley, and waaaaaay to the left of them is Santa Cruz. That’s kind of the way the ILWU is in relation to other unions...a whole different brand of Banana Slug, clothing optional campus type crazy.
Another interesting aspect to this story is the ILWU has a major Hispanic component. I’d say 50% of the current members, at least in LA. So while most labor unions would be AGAINST amnesty, as a threat to their jobs, the ILWU is actually criticizing the AFL-CIO for not being FOR streamlined citizenship. Part of that I’m sure is because they feel like their union stranglehold on the port is so strong they can fend off the teeming masses, but I’m sure part of it is to placate half the membership.
Yeah, the side story to this is that the corruption in Mexico has been SO bad that it took this long to get to this option. My understanding was that the Railhead was to go into Kansas City, with the idea being that not only would that provide access into the east coast, but also to the Mississippi so as to allow access to the gulf and bypass the fees needed for the Panama Canal transit.
The shipping companies will make out like bandits (or banditos, in this case), because they will pay the workers $20 an hour, and it will be more money than those people have ever seen in their lives!
How many more groups can 0 exempt from his *signature* legislation?
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