After 8 years of struggle, the LWC forced the ILA leadership to adopt three main principles for the union in bargaining, enforcement and organizing.

LWC members and sympathizers reintroduced resolutions that had been presented at past conventions. This time, however, several of them passed. The difference is that the membership of the ILA has been informed through the LWC newsletter, Pier Pressure. Officers and delegates know they will have to answer for what they do at the convention and in bargaining.

End the Tiers: The convention unanimously passed resolutions calling to end the tiered wage provisions of the contract and end the cap on container royalties. This means that the convention recommends that these two principals be top bargaining demands when new negotiations begin and that they might be among several issues the membership is willing to strike for.

Safety: The convention unanimously passed a resolution that makes updating the ILA-USMX safety codes a top priority in bargaining, enforcement and organizing. The old codes have not been updated in years, even though the industry and equipment has changed dramatically.

Organizing: The convention unanimously passed a resolution that calls for building an organizing department. Many members don’t realize that several of the expanding ports are operating without ILA union labor. Non-union technology work, warehouse work, and intermodal work is growing like a cancer across the country. If we don’t organize that work into our union, we will watch our union be destroyed.

This is just the beginning of a long battle. To win these demands will require more than a resolution at the convention, it will require action by the rank and file. Stay tuned to the LWC for more info.