The Means Of Distribution

June 6, 2019 9:08 AM

“ILWU International President Harry Bridges pushed to have a few Japanese Americans, interned for most of the war, admitted to the Stockton division of Local 6 (Bay Area warehouse) in conjunction with the government’s War Relocation Authority.” Dockworkers Show Us How Unions Can Be a Powerful Force Against Racism (In These Times) “The dockworkers were very involved in Latin America in general but in Chile after the coup, the dockworkers were the first to refuse to handle cargo from the dictatorship. They let fruit rot on the quays, and they refused to discharge other cargo.” Worker Power on the Swedish Docks (Jacobin) “If longshoremen in San Francisco could find a way to support Black workers in South Africa, it would help the liberation movement there survive and win. ” RIP Leo Robinson, self described ‘Red’ and Soul of the Longshore. Professor Peter Cole on the power of dockworkers (Who Makes Cents? 46:42) In the logistics industry, from port workers to truckers to delivery drivers, time is of the essence. Their potential control over that time gives workers enormous leverage in the global economy.
posted by The Whelk (2 comments total)

Similarly, the Amalgamated Union of Engineering Workers (AUEW) at Rolls Royce in Scotland prevented jet engines from Chile from being repaired, as documented in the film ¡Nae Pasaran!
posted by scruss at 11:47 AM on June 6, 2019 [4 favorites]

I fucking <3 ILWU, one of the most radical unions!!!
posted by symbioid at 1:48 PM on June 6, 2019 [1 favorite]