Nearly 100 delegates to the Longshore Caucus of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union voted last February to support an eight-hour daytime “stop-work” meeting at all West Coast ports May 1, calling for an immediate safe return of U.S. troops from Iraq.
The ILWU’s monthly newspaper, The Dispatcher, reported that caucus delegates, including several military veterans, emphasized supporting the troops by bringing them home safely and ending the war. The war’s impact on funding for domestic needs was also discussed.
Delegates to the Longshore Caucus are democratically elected from every longshore local, and set policy for the union’s Longshore Division.
The union has withdrawn its call for coordinated “stop work” meetings, but plans are still underway at most ports to speak out against the war on May 1.
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