The fight for our future begins now. We must vigorously pursue the four main issues facing our union. The LWC will fight on many fronts and will not wait for the ILA leadership to get a clue. The convention is an opportunity to put pressure on officers and delegates to do the right thing.

ILA members up and down the coast need to learn the issues and pressure their delegates to do the right thing at the convention.

Expect a report back from your delegates on the way they voted at the convention in July:

Strong Contracts – To end the wage and benefit tiers, protect our members from unsafe work, and organize work lost to computers, we must make plans now. This means the union must create a real contract campaign and use resources for research, communication, mobilizing in our ports, and education of our members. Most of all they must have a backbone and prepare to take public action for a good contract.

Democracy – Without elections where every ILA member can directly vote for their international officers, ILA leadership will continue to line their pockets with our money and they will not take a stand for a strong contract, organizing, or safety.

Safety – We can’t enjoy the fruits of our labor if we get injured or sick on the job. New technology means that the pace and intensity of our work has increased. The ILA must make safety a priority in bargaining and enforcement.

Organizing – Our union must grow if we want to stay strong. Non-union work and loss of jurisdiction mean a weaker union. We must organize or die.