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As Occupiers Block Port, Labour Questions Tactics
'Take protest to Bay Street and Howe Street, leave the poor working stiff alone': longshore union president.
Line of police that met demonstrators, close to port gates in Vancouver. Photo by Tom Sandborn.
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Protesters stage brief, rolling blockades at Vancouver port
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Strong labour presence at Occupy Vancouver
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Protestors occupy Vancouver condo construction site
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Labour + Industry
Find more labour reporting on The Tyee.
Demonstrators with ties to the Occupy Vancouver movement stopped the flow of traffic onto Vancouver's port docks three times on Monday, Dec. 12, in morning and afternoon blockades. But as demonstrators were arrested in Vancouver and Seattle, local labour leaders distanced themselves from the day's actions.
After a series of coordinated demonstrations up and down the Pacific coast -- first called for by the Occupy Oakland movement -- a few demonstrators were arrested for breach of the peace around 3:30 p.m. on Monday afternoon at the Clark Drive entrance to Vancouver's docks. Three others were arrested shortly after, a few blocks away.
Activists from the Occupy movement massed at port entrances throughout the day. They carried drums and homemade banners to display solidarity with longshoremen in Longview, WA, who are currently fighting an employer attempt to bust their union, according to a press release announcing the port-side picketing.
The demonstrations were also designed, the release said, to convey a message that "This economy belongs to ALL of us -- not just those who disproportionately profit from trade."
Demonstrations linked to the Occupy movement shut down port operations in Oakland, Portland and Longview on Dec. 12, while demonstrators also appeared outside port facilities in Anchorage, AK and Seattle, WA. The Seattle demonstrations saw 11 activists arrested on Monday afternoon.
No endorsement from labour leaders
An officer of the union that represents local longshore workers told The Tyee that while he supported the goals of the Occupy movement, he did not endorse the attempt to shut down the docks.
"We do need a spotlight on the issues that Occupy Vancouver has raised, and my union is known for our solidarity with such causes," Tom Dufresne, International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) Canada, said. "But some of these people are not doing their cause any good. They should take their protest to Bay Street and Howe Street and leave the poor working stiff alone. I was down at the Clark Drive entrance around 3:30, and I saw demonstrators hitting cars with their picket signs. By then, I think, the people with legitimate concerns had left."
The BC Federation of Labour also dissociated itself from the port action, issuing a statement that read in part:
"The B.C. Federation of Labour does not support this action, or any action by the Occupy Vancouver group at Vancouver area ports that seeks to prevent our members from carrying out their assigned duties and working safely, and notes that the demonstration will not constitute a picket line as defined in the B.C. Federation of Labour's picket line policy."
Activist Mya Mayhem said her group had conversations with rank and file members of the ILWU in advance of the shutdown attempt. She said more than half of the port workers they spoke with expressed support for the action.
The demonstrations at West Coast ports played to similarly mixed reviews in the U.S., with ILWU leadership criticizing the shutdown attempt, and at least some rank and file members and union officers enthusiastically supporting the actions. Clarence Thomas, a third generation longshoreman in Oakland and former officer of ILWU Local 10 argued recently that:
"A picket line is a public demonstration -- whether called by organized labor or not. It is legitimate. There are established protocols in these situations. To suggest to longshoremen that they shouldn't follow them demands clarification. It is one thing to state for the record that the union is not involved, but another thing to erase the historical memory of ILWU's traditions and practices."
Leo Robinson is another ILWU member, now retired, who criticizes his union's leadership for not welcoming the solidarity actions taken on Dec. 12.
"Any number of times this union (Local 10) has observed picket lines, including Easter Sunday, 1977, when the community put up a picket line at Pier 27 to picket South African cargo. Longshoremen observed that picket line for two days. So I don't understand how all of a sudden the sanctity of the contract outweighs the need to demonstrate solidarity. It just does not compute. It doesn't make sense," Robinson recently told the Bail Out People website.
Three times during Dec. 12, bands of protesters filled the streets at port entrances -- at Clark Drive and Heatley at the beginning of the day, at McGill and Commissioner at mid-day and again at Clark Drive at the end of the day -- blocking all traffic on and off the docks, and leaving long lines of freight trucks idling outside the port. The Tyee spoke with one of the stalled truck drivers, a cheerful young man named Dimos Carvalho.
Truck driver Dimos Carvalho, preparing to enter the port after Vancouver's demonstration moved off the McGill Street ramp. Photo by Tom Sandborn.
"I'm not sure what all their issues are," Carvalho said, referring to the demonstrators. "But yea, I support what they're doing."
Mixed perceptions of action's impact
Mayhem told a noon rally at Callister Park near the docks that she and a dozen other activists had shut down traffic into two port entrances that morning.
"We're here in solidarity with ILWU members who face union busting in Longview," the slight, intense young woman told the crowd. "We're showing that if we all stand together, we can change the world."
The dispute at Longview, where grain terminal firm EGT Development has been trying to break the power of the ILWU at the port, has been a bitter one, erupting into violence in September as union members allegedly stormed company property, broke windows and dumped grain at the dockside operations.
The dispute has also featured close to 200 arrests and charges of police brutality. EGT has been accused of union busting for going around the ILWU, which has traditionally represented West Coast dock workers for decades, by contracting out the work formerly done by ILWU members to a company tied to a less militant union.
Another target of the co-ordinated West Coast actions was SSA, a port operator in California with ties to the notorious financial firm Goldman Sachs. SSA has been involved in union busting activities against truck drivers at southern California ports.
One speaker at Callister Park, who identified herself as Rain, brought greetings to the rally from Teamsters who have been locked out by the Rocky Mountaineer luxury train service in Vancouver since June 22.
She reminded the crowd that the company locking out the mainly female workforce at the Rocky Mountaineer belonged to Peter Armstrong, who headed up the campaign fundraising for the Non-Partisan Association in the last city election. The speaker then led the crowd in the chant, "Union busting is disgusting."
"I'm here to support my brothers and sisters," Occupy Vancouver protester Jordan Aleister Malcolm said, as he watched a long line of trucks enter the port at the McGill and Commissioner ramp as protesters withdrew around 2:20 p.m. Later, the group moved back to Clark Drive, where traffic had been stopped for an hour during the morning demonstration. Again, protesters thronged the ramp leading to the docks off Clark, slowing all traffic.
The noon rally was told by speakers that work had been disrupted on the docks that morning, with some longshoremen refusing to cross the picket lines.
According to employer and port administration spokesmen, however, the day's activity had little impact on the ongoing work of the port. Greg Vurdela of the BC Maritime Employers Association told The Tyee that all shifts were filled and completed on Monday without incident.
Peter Xotta, vice president, planning and operations, for Port Metro Vancouver, also said the demonstrations had no impact on work on the docks.
"To my knowledge," Xotta said, "there was no slow down of work."
[Tags: Labour and Industry, Rights and Justice.] ![[Tyee]](http://thetyee.cachefly.net/ui/img/ico_fishie.png){kind=small}
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OccupyDix
23 weeks ago
Guess who endorses Occupy... and all they stand for?
Adrian Dix.
http://youtu.be/pWZBO12PE-o
It's all nicely documented what he and his occupy movement pals are doing.
No wonder the wise old men of the left are backing away from Occupy... they didn't get wise high on weed or harassing citizen journalists or indulging in 9/11 trutherism. Perhaps it's time Adrian Dix started realzing Occupy is a symptom of the problem, not the solution.
Granville
23 weeks ago
Longshoremen are the poor working stiffs? I think not!
Longshoremen probably make 3 or 4 times what I make. Whatever we think of these Occupy people, they are here to stay, and they are for real, and they are not about to take shit from anyone. They have said that thy are sick of the status quo and they mean it.
What are they about? Well, for one thing, ordinary working stiffs, like those on minimum wage or close to it, have no hope in hell of ever buying a house anywhere in the lower mainland, or even in all of Canada for that matter.
That in itself, is fundamentally wrong. Henry Ford recognised that his workers should be able to buy the cars they made,so he paid $5.00 per hour long before it was the going rate. People should be able to buy a house t live in, or life is not worth living.
Politics as we know it, is over. It is time for some real democracy, and this is it, folks. Get used to it.
realisticman
23 weeks ago
Solidarity?
Thanks anyway but no solidarity today, says Jim Sinclair. But Jim, "Activist Mya Mayhem said her group had conversations with rank and file members of the ILWU in advance of the shutdown attempt. She said more than half of the port workers they spoke with expressed support for the action."
That's a democratic majority. What about the working stiffs that run the food stalls around the Art Gallery and lost weeks of business, Jim? I don't remember you crying, or caring about them.
RickW
23 weeks ago
Jim Sinclair is part of the problem
Just who do the "working stiffs" work for?
Jeffrey J.
23 weeks ago
Changing Dynamics: Fewer Workers, More Unemployed
Not many years ago, the majority worked in jobs across North America, and were largely exploited by the ruling elite. Labour unions and strikes were illegal for many years, and to this day have been undermined and dismantled by the elite.
But now (to further complicate matters), there are fewer working people, fewer unions. How does the history of courageous union action intersect with the rise of environmental awareness? This is the defining issue we all must embrace, and solve, if we are to continue as a functioning society.
This will demand thought and action and hard work by all involved: by the BC Federation of Labour, by the NDP, by the CCPA, by all environmental groups.
We do have common ground compared to the ruling elite who care little for environmentalist nor unions nor the majority.
Beware the tactic of divide and conquer.
Great coverage.
pwlg
23 weeks ago
Headline misleading
The headline for this article, "...Labour Questions Tactics" is a bit misleading when you read the entire article.
It appears the union labour executives took issue with the Occupy demonstration to bring to light the economic and social injustices of labour strife in the US and in BC and not their members.
As a union member I take issue with labour executives who speak on labour's behalf without consulting their members.
What is being shipped through our ports is part of the problem. Classic and neo-liberal economic policies are to blame for the inequalities in our society. Canada, a non-renewable resource rich country, has been assigned its duty in the global supply chain. We supply the resources and other countries utilize those resources in manufactured goods.
We have decimated our manufacturing industries in this country for a few jobs at the ports unloading goods that bankrupt small businesses and aid in the destruction of stable communities.
Workers need to take a long hard look at its vision for the future not just their own jobs but also the welfare of their communities and other fellow workers.
Labour executives should be facilitating these discussions. I believe there is movement for this to happen. The Vancouver and District Labour Council is attempting to set something up along these lines but will they notify and invite their local members (the rank and file)?
VivianLea Doubt
23 weeks ago
"It just does not compute"
Exactly. The union movement seriously wonders why their numbers grow smaller and smaller? Why so few young people are rushing out to try to organize their workplaces? Beware 'divide and conquer' tactics? The movement has already been conquered, apparently.
Kreditanstalt
23 weeks ago
Huh?!
"Leave the poor working stiff alone?"
Those "working stiffs probably make over $20/hour plus benefits. They are NOT "poor working stiffs". The protestors, on the other hand, are very likely unemployed or underemployed.
The poor working stiffs hold those cash cow positions because they are protected by governments which mandate "collective bargaining" by force of legislation.
They are terrified of a free market in labour.
If those longshore jobs were open to all, I'd be willing to work for $15 without benefits...and I'm sure the protestors would too.
Granville
23 weeks ago
Vivian: The Canadian has declining enrollment too
Should we start a war to boost their numbers?
If unions are losing members, they should look to the root causes, and it may not be a capitalist plot. Perhaps it is because, in many ways, unions are no longer serving their member's interests.
snert
23 weeks ago
Kreditanstalt
Huh?! $15/hr, still too high. We'll find somebody that'll work for minimum wage.
snert
23 weeks ago
Granville
Maybe but attrition is probably another reason. In the railroad industry it's not uncommon to see 12,000 ft double stack intermodal trains manned by two people, an engineer and conductor without a caboose. When I started it would have taken a minimum of three crews of 4 people each with a caboose to move the same volume. Union membership has plummeted in direct proportion to the productivity gains the company has made.
If everything works the way it should then the job goes fine. If there is a problem towards the tail end of the train it sits for a long time blocking everybody else while a lone man walks 12,000 feet back to that problem then covers the same distance again to get back to the engine when and if the problem has been resolved.
The companies just play the law of averages with the manpower reductions. They figure that the number of times where things go wrong are more than compensated for by the amount of time things go well.
Productivity gains have decimated a lot of unions and subsequently they may appear to not be serving their members interests well.
alive
23 weeks ago
Fools!
sure, sure make everybody work for minimum wages; then sit back and watch that prices do NOT go down anyway!
What will happen is that now, nobody can afford to buy all the gadgets and fancy frills that presently keeps the economy going!
yeah, good idea make the 1% even more rich!
lynn
23 weeks ago
pwlg
Outstanding post that goes to the heart of the matter:
Your following quote could not be said better:
"It appears the union labour executives took issue with the Occupy demonstration to bring to light the economic and social injustices of labour strife in the US and in BC and not their members.
As a union member I take issue with labour executives who speak on labour's behalf without consulting their members.
What is being shipped through our ports is part of the problem. Classic and neo-liberal economic policies are to blame for the inequalities in our society. Canada, a non-renewable resource rich country, has been assigned its duty in the global supply chain. We supply the resources and other countries utilize those resources in manufactured goods." ~ pwlg
lynn
23 weeks ago
pwlg
Outstanding post that goes to the heart of the matter:
The following quote from your comment could not be said better:
"It appears the union labour executives took issue with the Occupy demonstration to bring to light the economic and social injustices of labour strife in the US and in BC and not their members.
As a union member I take issue with labour executives who speak on labour's behalf without consulting their members.
What is being shipped through our ports is part of the problem. Classic and neo-liberal economic policies are to blame for the inequalities in our society. Canada, a non-renewable resource rich country, has been assigned its duty in the global supply chain. We supply the resources and other countries utilize those resources in manufactured goods." ~ pwlg
happy
23 weeks ago
snert
Ran into a high school buddy a number of years ago. He went straight from high school to BC Rail. He was retired already after a quick 25 on the job riding the caboose doing the night run to PG. So what did you do in the caboose I asked, as I've always been curious.
Sleep, was his answer
igbymac
23 weeks ago
imo,
The entire work force should be unionized, and all monopolies broken apart or socialized, with the private property returned to an accountable and democratic state.
But the idea that monopolistic power, through one means or another, is our nemesis just never seems to register with regular people.
freewilly
23 weeks ago
Its a strange world
Its a strange world, where noone wants to take responsibilty for their actions. That to me is the common thread. We are completely leaderless. Thats ok, its evolution, it will take time to get used to.
Jim Sinclair is just talking to himself.
freewilly
23 weeks ago
Instead of occupying the ports
Instead of occupying the ports, consider our public media outlets, and rid ourselves of stupid programs like Lizards Den and Armegadon Inc, which only promote greed, human desparation and waste, however entertaining. Why this crap is on a publicly funded network is beyond me.
The occupy movement has to be a little more creative. Occupy the media!
dannyyam
23 weeks ago
Snert, Kredit and anyone
Snert, Kredit and anyone else, there is ALWAYS someone willing to work for less than you. Just look at the Temporary Foreign Worker Program. The point is to draw a line SOMEWHERE. A Union is an insane solution to an insane problem, one that is nowhere near the perfect solution. But it does more help than harm in a world run by corporate interests and politicians whose ideals are a workforce that is enforced to work by law, thereby turning us into de facto slaves.
These labour "leaders" are worried for their own interests because we have allowed our legislators to make it illegal for us to withhold ourselves from work when we are treated unfairly. So they MUST distance themselves from these kinds of protests or face fines and other punishment.
A Union with no ability to strike is a pointless union.
That isn't to say that destroying company facilities is okay in any way.
jimmycarter34
23 weeks ago
The weight of a car
The weight of a car influences fuel consumption and performance, with more weight resulting in increased fuel consumption and decreased performance.The societal benefits may include: economy benefits, such as job and wealth creation, of automobile production and maintenance, transportation provision, society wellbeing derived from leisure and travel opportunities, and revenue generation from the tax opportunities.Sbt Japan | Sbt Japan | Sbt Japan
settingprecedent
23 weeks ago
"poor working stiffs"
I have to laugh. The average Canadian lawyer earns $60,000 in this country - a fact that shocks many of those outside of the legal profession. It took me 7 years of university and debt of over $100k to get my law degree. While I earn more than the "average", if one were to calculate my hourly salary, I'd be pleased if it were above minimum. Meanwhile, I have two longshoremen in my extended family, both of which earn well over $100k per year and never had to invest a penny in education. Who's the "poor working stiff" now?
settingprecedent
23 weeks ago
"poor working stiff"
I have to laugh. The average Canadian lawyer earns $60,000 in this country - a fact that shocks many of those outside of the legal profession. It took me 7 years of university and debt of over $100k to get my law degree. While I earn more than the "average", if one were to calculate my hourly salary, I'd be pleased if it were above minimum. Meanwhile, I have two longshoremen in my extended family, both of which earn well over $100k per year and never had to invest a penny in education. Who's the "poor working stiff" now?
x4estworker
23 weeks ago
A Dumb Demonstration
The Occupy Movement claims to be concerned about the 99% of us who are held down by the other 1%. They also claim to be concerned about the inequities in the system between the 99 versus 1. The best way in my mind to start to address those inequities is to have a much more active union movement and many more workers carrying union cards.
The problem with the latest effort by those claiming to represent Occupy, and I confine my remarks to those in Vancouver, is that they did not consult in any kind of meaningful way with the union people who would be affected by their latest little blockade. Nor did they stop this blockade when it was made clear that union people would lose wages because of their actions.
No, these so-called and self-appointed Occupiers were so intent on their own little agenda that they did not really care what anybody said, they were going to have their little demonstration and who cares what anybody else thought. Self-righteous, yes, self absorbed, yes, but insightful social activists? Definitely not!
RickW
23 weeks ago
x4estworker
The American Revolution was supported by less than 1/3 of the population. I think you will find that of most revolutions or protests throughout history. Those who choose activism seldom give a damn what the majority of the citizenry think.
StevenSegal60
23 weeks ago
This provides coverage for
This provides coverage for the insured aircraft against damage when it is on the ground and not in motion. This would provide protection for the aircraft for such events as fire, theft, vandalism, flood, mudslides, animal damage, wind or hailstorms, hangar collapse or for uninsured vehicles or aircraft striking the aircraft. The amount of coverage may be a blue book value or an agreed value that was set when the policy was purchased.Aviation Insurance
VivianLea Doubt
23 weeks ago
"The BC Federation of Labour does not support this action..."
"A picket line is a public demonstration -- whether called by organized labor or not. It is legitimate. There are established protocols in these situations. To suggest to longshoremen that they shouldn't follow them demands clarification. It is one thing to state for the record that the union is not involved, but another thing to erase the historical memory of ILWU's traditions and practices."
Yes, precisely. If the union does not stand in solidarity with those that have nothing, who do they stand in solidarity with? Shame, BC Fed.
shepsil
23 weeks ago
Unions supporting corporate agenda
The BC Fed & those unions not supporting the Occupy protests are playing into corporate hands.
Corporate "globalism" is what the BC Fed is supporting. They are afraid to challenge the likes of Tom Dufresne, International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) Canada, who are only concerned for their own and not society as a whole.
The BC Fed are acting like the cowards that the ILWU are!
happy
23 weeks ago
Of course the Fed doesn't support it
The Fed is the umbrella organization that represents public sector workers who's pensions are heavily invested in large corporations.
You hurt the corporations, you hurt the public union members cushy pensions.
It's that simple
happy
23 weeks ago
And in case you don't believe me
WESTSHORE TERMINALS INVESTME 5,600.00 144,760.00
http://www.bcimc.com/publications/pdf/Inventory/Inventory20110331.pdf
Mal
23 weeks ago
Activism vs. political support
"The American Revolution was supported by less than 1/3 of the population. I think you will find that of most revolutions or protests throughout history. Those who choose activism seldom give a damn what the majority of the citizenry think."
That's a very inaccurate statement about mass political movements. There's a difference between activists winning political support in order to achieve something and the Janus of conspiratorialism and technocratism. I think Occupy belongs to the former, the moreso because they are trying to win political support from the politically apathetic and disillusioned without resorting to the tired ballot box.