By Arne Auvinen
The ILWU Pacific Coast Pensioners Association held its 39th Convention and Pre-Convention Executive Board meeting Sept. 17-20 in Tacoma, Wash. at the Tacoma Sheraton Hotel, a gathering attended by 196 members and guests.
Tacoma Mayor Bill Baarsma welcomed the delegates to Tacoma and complimented Local 23 for its efforts in making the Port of Tacoma the success it is today. He also praised the ILWU.
U.S. Representative Adam Smith (D-WA) gave the delegates a report on how difficult it is to get anything done in Congress with the Republicans in control. He complimented the ILWU for what they have done to make sure working people get decent wages and benefits.
“We need a lot more people like you,” he said.
Smith went on to criticize the Republicans for policies that only benefit 10 percent of the people who control all the money, while everyone else is seeing their health care disappear, pensions disappear and wages go down.
“All this has not happened by accident,” he said.
Guest speakers included ILWU International Secretary-Treasurer Willie Adams, newly elected Interna-tional Vice President, Mainland Joe Radisich and newly elected Coast Committeeman Leal Sundet.
Adams also criticized Bush’s policies on taxes, health care and Social Security.
“Politicians in this country have ignored reality for six years,” Adams said. “My question to you is, now that the party is over, how bad will the hangover be?”
Adams went on to urge everyone to get out the vote for the Democrats.
All three officers expressed the need for the pensioners’ continued participation in the union. In their remarks they asked pensioners to commit themselves in a new effort to take a more active part in politics and other social causes, to attend union meetings and help new members learn about the history of the union and the labor movement.
The Convention elected former International Vice President Rich Austin as the new president of the PCPA. Austin railed against the current political situation where the rich don’t have the same concerns with health care, pensions, housing and education that working people do. He advocated registering the dispossessed to vote and giving them good reason to do so.
Austin went on to list the four priorities of the organization:
1. build the membership of the PCPA
2. Get out into our communities and follow the ILWU programs and policies. Elect Democrats so we can have people friendly to labor in leadership roles in the Congress.
3. Let the International Officers know the PCPA is ready, willing and able to participate any way it can and its members are willing to go to union membership meetings and teach the history of the ILWU to the younger people.
4. Work with the International Officers as they seek to petition the AFL-CIO and other labor organizations to take the kind of action that the heritage of organized labor requires—that is to fight for social justice.
The Convention adopted the following resolutions:
Resolution #1
Be it resolved: The PCPA find a way to get voluntary donations from clubs, locals and individuals for the financial support of the Harry Bridges Center for Labor Studies Discretionary Fund and the Harry Bridges Institute.
Resolution #2
Whereas: A pensioner is a member of the Education Committee
Therefore be it resolved: The Pacific Coast Pensioners Association offers its further assistance to the International, to the Coast Committee and to the Education Committee as they work to inform the membership about the history of the ILWU, its heritage and its programs and policies;
And be it further resolved: We offer to attend membership meetings when requested to do so in order to present educational programs that are sanctioned by the International Union, and look forward to continuing to assist in developing such valuable programs.
Officers and committeemen elected for the coming year are:
President, Richard Austin, Everett
Vice President, Joe Lucas, San Francisco Bay Area Pensioners
Recording Secretary, Arne Auvinen, Longview Pensioners
Treasurer, Barbara Lewis, Columbia River Pensioners
Executive Board:
Ian Kennedy—Seattle Pensioners
Darryl Hedman—Tacoma Pensioners
Ken Swicker—Longview Pensioners
James Davison—Local 12 Pensioners
Don Birrer—Columbia River Pensioners
Cleophas Williams—S.F. Bay Area Pensioners
Michael Mullen—Eureka Pensioners
Lou Loveridge—Southern California Pensioners
Leonard Meneghello—Vancouver, B.C. Pensioners
Rich Austin—Coast Benefits Committee
Al Perisho—Coast Education Committee
On Sunday all delegates and guests enjoyed a seafood barbeque and an evening of dancing at Local 23’s hall. The food and music were provided by Local 23. Monday afternoon delegates had a choice of either visiting Lernays Antique Car Museum or a trip to a local casino. Tuesday evening was the traditional banquet and dancing and presentation of the Jesse and Lois Stranahan Award. The annual award is given to a union activist or a pensioner who has been particularly active in serving the ILWU pensioners and the ILWU. This year it was given to John and Emma Ehly and to Arne Auvinen for their many years of dedicated activism.
The Executive Board meeting and Convention was dedicated to the memory of Joe Jakovac, Southwest Oregon Pensioners and Paul McCabe, Seattle Pensioners. These two Brothers were former PCPA Executive Board members.
The next PCPA Convention will be held in San Pedro, Calif. Sept. 17-19, 2007.
