Bush War on Labor: ILWU Injunctions and Links for Action and Legal Background

[alex lantsberg]

my point wasn't a question of whether the safety rules were a contract
sticking point, but whether the worker's strict compliance with safe
procedures with the presence of state OSHAs on the docks would be a viable
unspoken tactic to engage in during the T-H period.

and no, its employees' adherence to safety rules.  its clear that the
employers want the workers to proceed in a hasty and rushed manner to
maximize throughput.  the workers are taking it upon themselves to maintain
compliance with their contract and the law.

alex

-----Original Message-----
From: owner-lbo-talk at lists.panix.com
[mailto:owner-lbo-talk at lists.panix.com]On Behalf Of Brian O. Sheppard
x349393
Sent: Thursday, October 10, 2002 6:02 AM
To: lbo-talk at lists.panix.com
Subject: RE: Bush War on Labor: ILWU Injunctions and Links for Action
and Legal Background

You mean the *employers'* adherence to safety rules, right? ILWU spokesman
Steve Stallone has never admitted that the workers were engaged in a
slowdown, but did admit workers were working "carefully" in light of the
fact that 5 dock workers have died during the past year due to unsafe
working conditions. It's not legally prudent to admit to a slowdown
anyway, though I and many others think a slowdown was certainly justified
given the PMA's bad faith attitude (i.e. union busting attitude) after the
ILWU contract with the PMA expired on July 1.

The safety issue doesn't seem to be the most important for the ILWU right
now. A strong union contract that demanded safety pecautions could take
care of these concerns. The ILWU's main concern is still about the union
status of new hires that could be brought in with the new technology the
PMA wants to introduce; the ILWU is NOT necessearily  against new
technology - just against non-ILWU laborers working with any new technology
the PMA bosses
want to introduce.

Brian

On Thu, 10 Oct 2002, alex lantsberg wrote:


> i heard on david bacon's KPFA segment that the ILWU is trying to get
CalOSHA
> and other state OSHAs to have staff at the docks to monitor the worker's
> adherence to safety rules.
>
> what are the chances of the state agencies backing up the ILWU in their
work
> practices and putting pressure on the bosses for encouraging unsafe
working
> conditions?
>
> al

--

"At times one remains faithful to a cause only because its opponents do
not cease to be insipid." - Friedrich Nietzsche