By James Spinosa
ILWU International President

I would like first to start out by thanking all the members of our great union for the privilege you bestowed on me to represent you as International President. For me personally it was a dream come true and continues to enforce that the ILWU democratic practices allows bottom up representation to happen.

I would also like to thank the other International Officers and Coast Committeemen who have served with me over the last six years for their support and unity, and for the great leadership they have shown through our struggles.

The highlight of my presidency and my career was the prolonged 2002 Longshore contract negotiations. I want to thank the entire Negotiating team, including the Safety Committee, for their professional work. They were steadfast throughout the battle, especially through the lockout and the Taft-Hartley injunction, working together as brothers and guiding the Longshore Division through difficult times. I am very proud to have chaired this team.

As this will be my last column as your President, I would like to share my thoughts on where I see the ILWU today and things we need to continue doing to further strengthen and build this union. Three and a half years ago we emerged victorious from the biggest attack the employers have made on the ILWU in more than 50 years. The challenge of that struggle has made us wiser and stronger. Since then I have made it a priority as president to reinforce and create committees to educate our ranks, not only on union principles that we all share, but also on our future responsibilities in the work place and the world as they change.

I would like to commend all who have stepped up and served on committees. Your efforts have without a doubt moved us forward so as members we can continue to enjoy the future benefits of this great union.

I want to emphasize how important it is to keep our committees in place and continue the work they have been doing. Elected union officials can only do so much. We need the energy and input of our rank-and-file members to take on the work of the union. It allows not only for more to get done, but for it to be done better with the views and experience of all involved. It also helps build the leadership skills of many more of our members, making the ILWU stronger for the future.

The battles are not over and our committees need to keep educating our members and continue to work and think progressively and stay ahead of the curve. Our future depends on us meeting change with change.

I have also recognized as a priority the need to better position ourselves in the international arena. We have strengthened our network with international unions and dockers around the world. Over the past six years we have hosted many conferences, allowing dockers and their unions the opportunity to build solidarity, share common problems and develop future strategies to meet globalization changes head on. The ILWU is without a doubt the strength and beacon of hope for struggling workers around the world. Continued networking and globalizing of unions is one of the keys to future success and stability.

Our union can only be as strong as you, the rank and file, let it. We must continue to recognize that we need to protect and preserve what we believe in. Our past gives us great history. The struggles will continue. Solidarity and education are critical for future success to be had. We must do a better job of meeting our obligation to this great union. Going to union meetings is an essential part, so we all understand future needs the union encounters. We live in a world of change, and understanding it creates the atmosphere and solidarity necessary for continued success.

Politics is essential for us to understand. Our union and workers in this country and around the world are faced with a political scene that is opposed to all we believe in. The WTO, for example, is a political organization formed to break standards of middle class people and control future news. We must change our thinking and demand our politicians represent the needs of working people.

But to achieve this we must participate in the process. Our political action committee has done a fine job, but politics is money. We need to be able to make sure that we get people elected who support our cause and that of the entire labor movement. So we need all of you to donate and give this union the tools that make change possible. Your future depends on it.

Last, but not least on this, get out and vote! Be responsible to this union and your convictions.

The future is here. Let’s take it and make a better work place and world. Thank you once again for the opportunity and privilege to represent all of you.

In solidarity and love,
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