Below a copy of a letter that was sent to all LWC Members early September 2008:

Sisters and Brothers,

We are thrilled to announce an exciting new period for the Longshore Workers’ Coalition. After many years of volunteer work to keep our organization running, we are embarking on a major fundraising campaign to hire a permanent staff person. We believe this campaign will take our organization to the next level in rebuilding a strong ILA through the participation of rank-and-file members.

This staff person will track our administrative needs using important organizing tools, like maintaining an up-to-date membership database and assist us in our mobilization and education work. This includes coordinating the 2010 contract campaign, facilitating regular communication with members through Pier Pressure and the website, providing trainings at the quarterly LWC membership meetings and providing tailored support for LWC members in local ports.

Running an organization costs a lot of money. Our preliminary budget for a first year comes out at $130,000. And we don’t have that kind of money lying around! We have reached out to someone who can help us: Marsha Niemeijer has agreed to put together a fundraising campaign over the next three months. She is also putting in place some initial administrative and organizational structures that will help us hit the ground running.

Marsha comes to us from Labor Notes, an independent monthly newsletter that covers our kind of union movement. Labor Notes is also well-known for its books, like A Troublemaker’s Handbook and Democracy Is Power. Besides having fundraising and organizational skills, she has worked with the LWC for years as a trainer and hands-on support person. She’s a go-getter and already raised $6,000 within her first week.

Please join is in welcoming Marsha. You will hear from her soon! We sincerely hope that you will assist her in our fundraising efforts because this is about your organization and how much you want to see it succeed! As co-chairs, we have already committed personal funds to our fundraising campaign and hope you will give as much as you can.

In solidarity,

Leonard Riley, LWC Co-Chair, ILA Member, Charleston, SC
Tony Perlstein, LWC Co-Chair, ILA Member, NY-NJ