Background/Info

Occupy Portland’s participation in the blockade of all of the West Coast ports on December 12th is in solidarity with longshoremen, port workers and truckers in their struggle against the 1%!  They are fighting for economic and environmental justice and we stand with them in this fight.

Check out this recent article from Salon.com about how this action represents the leadership of rank and file union members and the rediscovery of collective power.

See below for information about their struggles and actions.

Information on the Occupy Movement and Port Workers:

As pressure builds for the Dec. 12 West Coast port shutdown, the capitalist owners and their media began a battle of ideas to blunt this powerful threat to their profits and control — even for a day.

Two International Longshore and Warehouse Union members — Clarence Thomas, who is a third-generation longshoreman in Oakland, and Leo Robinson, who is now retired — spoke with Workers World reporter Cheryl LaBash. Both men have held elected office in ILWU Local 10 and have been key labor activists during their years of work in the ports.

This interview was originally pubished by Workers World.

Article about the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU), the Longview labor struggle with EGT and the Occupy Movement (from the Transport Workers Solidarity Committee)

Information on truckers and trucking:

The giant retail shipping, trucking and global logistics corporations like Wal-Mart, Maersk and Goldman Sachs’ own SSA Marine have stuck it to America’s port truck drivers long before Wall Street’s greed uprooted Main Street’s middle class. They are the skilled professionals who safely command the wheel of 80,000 lb. container rigs in one of the nation’s most dangerous industries, and yet they work under unimaginable conditions for third-world wages. As Salon.com recently exposed, lax oversight and little regulation has created a shadowy industry that denies drivers their legal right to form a union.

U.S. ports have thus become economic engines for the elite; the 1% these trade hubs serve are free to rip the shirts off the backs of the 99% who turn their profits.

As part of the planned demonstrations, we are committed to exposing the systematic injustices that prevent them from earning a fair day’s pay for a hard day’s work. We pledge both our solidarity and ongoing support to the truck drivers who are uniting to win dignity, respect, and a voice on the job.

Further Info:

Article from the Coalition for Clean and Safe Ports: Tricking Taxpayers and Truck Drivers: Goldman Sachs Brings Wall Street to the Waterfront

Video about truck drivers working for economic and environmental justice at America’s ports:

 

Video about the Occupy Oakland Port Shutdown during the November 2nd General Strike: