Disclaimer - The opinions of the author do not necessarily match those of the IWW. This article is reposted in accordance to Fair Use guidelines.

By Matt Smith - San Francisco Weekly, February 6, 2008

Imploding U.S. mortgage markets leave behind trillions of dollars in economic damage. The dollar's slide against the euro and the yuan raises fears of a currency collapse. January job losses portend recession.

MAERSK STRIKE! -- PORT OF TACOMA - By Acumensch, from YouTube - November 8, 2007

http://www.youtube. com/watch? v=DRKOYrE8XUo

An unannounced wildcat strike was called to push the administration of Maersk (headquarters in Tacoma) to allow union workers to join the union of their choice instead of the union the company requires them to be members of,Securitas, which doesn't provide or bargain for workers' basic needs.

MAERSK UNION STRIKE IN TACOMA - By Tacoma SDS, Indymedia- November 8, 2007

http://seattle. indymedia. org/en/2007/ 11/262632. shtml

An unannounced wildcat strike was called to push the administration of Maersk (headquarters in Tacoma) to allow union workers to join the union of their choice instead of the union the company requires them to be members of, Securitas, which doesn't provide or bargain for workers' basic needs.

The strike at the Port of Tacoma yesterday was unannounced publicly, to catch the company off-guard and to require an arbitrator from the longshoremens' union (ILWU) to come to the port and declare the picket line the Maersk workers staged was unsafe to cross. Jobs With Justice organized the strike. Tacoma SDS and other community members who heard about it went to the port to show solidarity.

Maersk is the largest shipping company in the world, Adam Hoyt said. Its North American headquarters are located in Tacoma. The workers are not granted basic needs that other union workers are, such as a pension plan. Workers are forced to join the Securitas union which is acts as a pacifier to the union workers. Maersk has tried its hardest to convince workers Securitas is a good union, and that other unions are dangerous.

Tacoma P.D. singled out Tacoma SDS members and asked for identification and phone numbers. There were no physical confrontations, but our group felt it was unfair and absurd that officers would single out SDS without any reasonable suspicion. They asked us if we were attending the Smash Tacoma ICE protest, trying to glean information about it. We told them we would not consent to any of their questions or searches. Officer Darlington said the port has been the site of conspiracies to conduct
terrorism. "People ride jetskis next to tankers and then they speed off in the other direction," he said. Tacoma SDS was not convinced.

(Editor's note: some of the members of SDS are also members of the IWW).  

The Bay Area IWW participated in the organizing of this event and members attended the pickets.

By Steve Zeltser and Jeff Paterson, May 19, 2007

Dozens of anti-war protesters including the leadership and many members of the Oakland Education Association OEA joined the picket lines this morning and in the evening of the  SSA (Stevedoring Services of America)shipping terminal in Oakland, California to protest the war and the lack of funding for schools in Oakland. The picketers demanded that the US get out of Iraq and called on other trade unionists throughout the United States to mobilize in action to stop the war.

The action which began at in the early morning before the first day shift of ILWU Local 10 longshoremen and women as well as longshore clerks of ILWU Local 34 was organized to encourage the dockworkers to honor the picket line which they are allowed to do under their contract. As a result of a political  education campaign in the ILWU Local 10, most workers were fully in support of the picket and did not cross the line. Newly elected Democratic mayor Ronald Dellums had also sent a letter to the Port Action committee that organized the picket which declared that the war "had been a blunder" and said he opposed the war. The police however not only prevented anti-war picketer from driving to the docks in the morning but also stopped major news media from bringing their vans to the picketlines to cover the demonstration. The police when questioned by this reporter said that the news vans were not allowed in the area since it was  a "safety issue". In 2003, the Oakland police in collaboration with the SSA company and state security forces launched a violent attack on a similar anti-war protest. They also shot at many ILWU members for the first time since the 1930's.

The following is not an IWW campaign.  It is posted in solidarity.  An injury to one is an injury to all! 

A few weeks ago the entire crew (including the captain and officers)  of the Hawaiian Chieftain (a historic "tall ship") were fired.

The ship was grossly understaffed, lacking several licenced crew and  an education coordinator.  The ship's income relies on providing  educational sail training programs to paying customers. The crew who  were present were expected to perform multiple duties outside of their  stated job descriptions. They were overworked and underpaid.  They  were also expected to sail with a group of new inexperienced paying  trainees.  This was felt to be unsafe because the ship did not have  the necessary compliment of experienced crew.

This article has been removed.

The web editor neglected to check the (unedited) article for inaccuracies, and regrets that oversight.

On September 25th of 2006 Alcatraz Cruises, part of the notoriously anti-union Hornblower Yachts, took over the contract to run the Alcatraz ferry service using non union crews for the first time since the service began in the early 70's.

The unions representing the captains, deckhands, mechanics, ticket sellers and collectors, the Inlandboatmens Union-ILWU(IBU) and the-Masters Mates and Pilots (MMP) have attempted to negotiate with Hornblower Yachts in good faith, but thus far, Hornblower has refused to rehire the union workers and honor the workers' contracts with the previous employer, Blue & Gold Fleet.

Union members and supporters have been and continue to picket Alcatraz Cruises every day of the week (except Saturdays) in front of Alcatraz Cruises landing facility at Pier 31-1/2 in San Francisco. As pickets continue, more and more potential customers have been turned away from Hornblower Yachts.

Disclaimer - The following article is reposted here because it is an issue with some relevance to the IWW. The views of the author do not necessarily agree with those of the IWW and vice versa.

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Alcatraz Cruises, of Hornblower Dining and Yachts has refused to recognize union workers who have worked on the Alcatraz ferry since  its opening as a National Park. Full time jobs with pension and benfits to be replaced with casual part time workers.

Alcatraz has become one of the most successful and lucrative destinations in the National Park Service (NPS). Since the island opened up to the public, the IBU and the MMP have represented the Alcatraz Ferry Workers. The highly skilled workforce has been there for over 30 years. These members have performed their duties competently and professionally.

Disclaimer - The following article is reposted here because it is an issue with some relevance to the IWW. The views of the author do not necessarily agree with those of the IWW and vice versa.

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By Jack Heyman - Counterpunch, August 22 , 2006

Spying on grannies in Sacramento who were planning to “mark Mother’s Day urging the Governor and Legislature to support bringing California National Guardsmen home from Iraq by Labor Day”; doing undercover surveillance at a union rally for health care in San Francisco and prompting police to fire “less-than-lethal” weapons at anti-war protesters and longshore workers in the port of Oakland -- this is the veiled face of the “war on terror” exposed in a just-released American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) report.