[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 91 (Wednesday, June 4, 2008)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1140]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




IN SUPPORT OF THE MEMBERS OF THE INTERNATIONAL LONG SHORE AND WAREHOUSE 
                                 UNION

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. LAURA RICHARDSON

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, June 4, 2008

  Ms. RICHARDSON. Madam Speaker, I rise today to support the members of 
the International Longshore and Warehouse Union, who exercised their 
first amendment right to voice opposition to the ongoing war in Iraq by 
stopping work at 29 West Coast ports on Thursday, May 1, 2008. Although 
the union leadership was not involved in this action, a Longshore 
Caucus resolution called on all locals to honor May 1 by taking action 
to end the war and bring troops home safely from Iraq.
  I add my voice to those of the workers who attended rallies along the 
coast, demanding that the American presence in Iraq could come to an 
end. It is my understanding that the ILWU employers, the Pacific 
Maritime Association, were able to easily schedule changes with little 
or no disruption and therefore, these voluntary actions did not pose 
any hardship to the industry. Yet, the action sent a strong and 
important message to Washington, DC, indicating the ILWU members' 
opposition to the war.
  The ILWU has a long history of activism in the pursuit of social and 
international justice, including the refusal to load vessels bound for 
apartheid-era South Africa and El Salvador in the midst of a civil war. 
On May 1, ILWU members used their voices at work to express their 
frustration--shared by the overwhelming majority of Americans--that 
politicians have failed to bring troops home.

                          ____________________