May 2, 2008

Dockworkers Protest Iraq War

By JOHN HOLUSHA
Thousands of dockworkers at West Coast ports stayed off the job on Thursday in what their union said was a call for an end to the war in Iraq.
The International Longshore and Warehouse Union said more than 25,000 members in 29 ports stayed off the job. The action came despite an order issued Wednesday by an arbitrator directing the union to tell its members to report for work as usual in response to a request from employers.
“Longshore workers are standing down on the job and standing up for America,” Bob McEllrath, the union’s president, said in a statement. “We’re supporting the troops and telling politicians in Washington that it’s time to end the war in Iraq.”
The scene at most West Coast ports was quiet, without any scuffles or confrontations. The cranes used to unload container ships stood idle and few trucks were lined up outside gates.
Guillermo Durell, 45, a truck driver, was at the Los Angeles-area port of Long Beach. “I got up at 6 a.m. to drop a load off,” he said. “When I got here the security guard said ‘Drop this, but that’s it. We’re all leaving.’ ”
Mr. McEllrath said the walkout was not ordered by the union’s leadership, but was the result of a “democratic decision” made by the rank and file in February to demonstrate on May 1, a traditional day for labor activism.
He said employers were notified in advance of the plan, but refused to accommodate the union’s request, instead seeking the arbitrator’s ruling.
The longshore union and other labor groups are planning marches and rallies in various cities along the West Coast, and authorities in some location warned that these activities could snarl traffic during the evening commute.

Rebecca Cathcart contributed reporting from Long Beach, Calif.



About time.

More like “Pointless Gesture that does nothing but reinforce the fact that union leadership is little more than a tool of the radical left.”

Since the East Coast is about 1500 miles closer to Bassra and Umm Qasr, wouldn’t it have made more sense to do this on the east coast? Not that it would have much more effect, but at least it could be looked at as something more than a totally unrelated action with no consequences whatsoever.

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The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? - Psalm 27:1

Correction - the story is "West Coast dock workers getting ready to negotiate new contract, send warning to shipping community that they still in the driver's seat when it comes to union action."

Dockworkers take May Day off, idling all West Coast ports
Their union says the action is to protest the war in Iraq, but port operators and shippers say it's an attempt to influence their contract.
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la...0,474763.story

But still, it is about time. Amercia has been waiting for the Dockworkers to take their traditional role in shaping American Military policy.

Thank you, brave dockworkers for this selfless show of compassion for Our Troops! America owes you a debt of gratitude.

__________________
The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? - Psalm 27:1

So, if you are a union worker, you are a tool of the 'radical left'?...maybe Philadelphia dockworkers haven't taken any action because they are 'tools of organized crime' or 'tools of the Democratic machine'?..does opposition to the Iraq war make one a 'radical leftist'?...since this war has cost us over a $TRILLION, not to mention 5000 servicemen's lives (and you realize that the only ones counted as battlefield deaths are soldiers who actually die in country; soldier who die after they are flown to Ramstein, Germany and other military hospitals out of Iraq aren't included in the body count) plus, depending on the estimates, from 500000 to 1000000 Iraqi casualties, you still support this 'war for democracy'?...well, then vote for McCain, as he assures us of 100 years more war...and Obama will toe the same line: he has already been given his marching ordes, and if this isn't clear to him yet, I assure you, it will be made clear to him if it looks like he will be elected...how about America First?...how about fixing our economy?...is that a 'radical leftist' solution?...don't be deceived...war is a racket.

Excerpts from 'War is a Racket' by Marine Corps General Smedley Butler:

http://www.lexrex.com/enlightened/ar...risaracket.htm

By shutting down our docks?


BRILLIANT!!!

Frank,

Are you unable to comprehend what you read or are you just going to try to build a strawman based on a non-sequitur (I'll dumb that down for you: A conclusion that is not based on the arguments)?
For some reason, I'm currious.

Regards,

Tannhauser

__________________
The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? - Psalm 27:1

Are you one of the geniuses who come on here complaining about imported Chinese goods?...Yeah, shut down the docks for awhile...Almost everything that comes into this country could be made here, and made better...A shut down would make Americans think a little bit...maybe it would slow up Wal-Mart stocks for awhile...I'm for that.

Tannenbaum, thanks for your response...but 'non-sequitors' and 'strawmen'?...I don't engage in 'Hegelian dialectic'...I just try to take certain arguments to their logical conclusion...You support the 'War on Terror'...OK...I don't...I think the dockworkers strike was a good gesture, whether effective or not...If they were striking for a contract, as someone else replied,they would have been out much longer, and there would have been lot's more turmoil and strife...should Union members engage in politics?...Unions are about politics; at least these guys took a stance on an issue that is helping to wreck America, instead of just going along with 'politics as usual'.

Absolutly not, I support the free market.




Yea and in a free market, this should come naturally. If we are getting outpriced, thats our fault.


Well thats good, just don't be like my idiot friends that criticize big oil/Walmart and don't realize their own 401k's/IRA's invest in these very companies like a lot of Americans don't realize.