Story and photos by Tom Price

The Local 6 hall rocked with cheers as an oversized crowd of members, families, guests and retirees celebrated their union at its 60th Annual Convention Feb. 24 in Oakland and dedicated themselves to its future. The local will put this enthusiasm to the test this year as it faces heavy bargaining in its major contracts, in a climate of soaring health care costs and rising corporate greed.

“The 800-pound gorilla at the bargaining table remains—it is the upward spiral of health care costs,” warehouse Local 6 President Efren Alarcon said.
The Convention passed resolutions supporting: card check recognition, immigrant rights, a cutoff of Iraq war funding, speedy arbitrations and single payer healthcare. [See sidebar for details.]

Local 6 officers reported to the Convention on the local’s achievements over the year. These included classes introducing new members to the union. More than 30 stewards and members received steward training, and more than 40 members were trained in bilingual classes to understand and apply family leave laws. Members ratified a dozen contracts over the past year and laid the groundwork for negotiating the big master contract this year. Members turned out in massive support for pro-worker candidates in last year’s elections, and Local 6 members played a big role in their communities. The local’s Activity Committee hosted four Saturday night get-togethers with food, raffles and televised sporting events.

“We need to return to our roots,” Secretary-Treasurer Fred Pecker said in the Officers’ Report. “We need to get back to a view of a collective outlook—a union outlook. A view of our futures together—not each of us by ourselves. The difference between an individual retirement account like a 401(k) and a defined pension plan is huge. The difference between personal medical savings accounts and comprehensive medical insurance is huge. We are the tide that lifts all boats. Together, we create strong communities, together we build a strong nation.”

A large number of guests attended, including ILWU International President Bob McEllrath, International Secretary-Treasurer Willie Adams and Art Pulaski, Executive Secretary-Treasurer of the California Labor Federation. Coast Committeeman Leal Sundet and International Executive Board members Lawrence Thibeaux and Richard Cavalli also attended and spoke to the delegates. Cavalli serves as clerks’ Local 34 President. Jeff Carter, President of warehouse Local 17 also spoke, as did Sandra Andrews, aide to Congresswoman Barbara Lee.

International President Bob McEllrath had the crowd on its feet when he thanked Local 6 for its work in last November’s election:
“Last election we donated to 63 candidates, and out of those 56 won office,” he said. “We took over the house, we took over the Senate, and Nancy Pelosi took over as Speaker of the House, the first woman to do that. This is a fantastic change for working men and women.

“Nancy Pelosi is a good friend of [Local 6 retiree] Leroy King. She was called ‘unpatriotic’ by Dick Cheney. Can you imagine the Speaker of the House of the United States of America called ‘unpatriotic’? I look at it from the other side, and it’s some of the best campaign literature the Democrats can use. So let’s all keep looking forward, helping the Political Action Fund, let’s keep banging on the door when the election comes in 2008.”

International Secretary-Treasurer Willie Adams paid his respects to Local 6 legacies:
“I’d like to honor the brothers and sisters who have passed on, who set the table for us, and who aren’t here today. I call them ‘the Immortals,” Adams said. “Lou Goldblatt, Keith Eickman, Curtis McClain, and others. The last Immortal standing is brother Leroy King.

“I have to say to Fred Pecker, Efren Alarcon, the trustees, the BAs of Local 6—I want to thank you for all your hard work. Local 6 has been through some turbulent times, but you have stabilized the local. And to the membership—it hasn’t been easy, it didn’t happen by luck, it happened by skill and determination.”
Local 6 President Efren Alarcon asked the members for their involvement:
“We need you to participate and attend your membership meetings and know what’s happening with the local,” he said. “Because of the number of negotiations we have coming up, especially the master contract, which is 20 percent of our local, we need to prepare for a fight. We need to prepare for a strike. It is not our intention to negotiate a strike. It is our intention to negotiate a fair contract. It is a high priority of just about 98 percent of this membership that we keep and maintain the medical benefits that we have now. That’s about $917 a month. That’s about $5.29 an hour.

“If we didn’t have all this red tape we have with the HMOs, if we had universal health care, if we had at least half of that money going into our pockets that would be an additional $2.60. So again we ask you to live conservatively for the next four to five months to prepare your finances, get them in line, no union has a magic wand.”
Coast Committeeman Leal Sundet offered support from the Longshore Division:
“I know you are entering your master agreement in April, the number one issue you will be facing will be healthcare costs,” Sundet said. “The same we will be facing in longshore in 2008. As you know the ILWU is for single payer coverage, and we are not there yet. So we will protect our Taft-Hartley plans.
“I want to promise all the resources of the longshore division in whatever help you need in preserving your health care. Because if it happens to you it will be happening to us.”

Al Perisho, President of the Southern Calif. Pensioners Group expressed the support of the pensioners:
“I look at the attendance this year and it’s good,” Perisho said. “I know you have a lot on your plates with these negotiations, and pensioners have a lot with our health plan, our pensions, and what people are trying to take away from us in this country. Yesterday on NPR they did a report by several think tanks that said we are paying more in this country than if we had a single-payer plan that covered everybody.

“We’re going to support your negotiations any way we can. You have friends in Southern California in the longshore division.”
Richard Cavalli brought greetings from Local 34:
“We need to take back a message to all the places where we work,” Cavalli said. “The message is that the election victory in Nov. is just the first step. This needs to get back to the rank and file. The bottom line for us is to raise a few bucks, because that gives us access to politicians, whether we like it or not, and I don’t particularly like it, I’m not happy with the politicians we have. So if we can take from this convention that we have this first step done, we’ve got to get the next step, get legislation that allows unions to exist.”

Lawrence Thibeaux paid Local 10’s respects and offered an assessment of the health care crisis:
“When I was a little boy we didn’t have for-profit hospitals,” he said. “If you were sick you went to the doctor and it didn’t matter if you had a nickel in your pocket. Now everything is for profit. Can you afford it? We have the president talking about tax deductions for affordable health care. We have Schwarzenegger talking about mandatory health care. One of the things they all have in common is they’re trying to increase the customer base for the insurance carriers.

“We’ll never contain health care costs as long as there’s a profit motive behind healthcare. Because the health care provider’s first obligation is to his shareholders, not to the sick people. As long as we’re going down this trail where we buy into ‘affordable’ health care we’ll never have it.”
Art Pulaski brought greetings from organized labor in the state:
“We at the California Federation of Labor have great admiration for Local 6, because we consider this union to be one of the great activist unions in the state,” he said.
“It’s not just a battle at your bargaining table for your members. Your members and your leaders are out there supporting and advocating for every other union. That’s what activism and militancy is about. One of the great values of this is that when your employers see your union activists supporting other unions, sees you active and strong in politics, and in Sacramento, your employer has more respect, and in fact more fear. We like employers that fear our union, right?”

Jeff Carter, President of warehouse Local 17, expressed his members’ feelings of solidarity with their sister local and gave a report on his local’s status.
“We believe we have turned the corner in L. 17, the dredging of the deep water channel at the Port of Sacramento brings great potential,” he said. “The Blue Diamond organizing drive in full swing. Our largest house, Sacramento Logistics, added 150 jobs in the last year alone.”

Carey Dall, International Organizer, gave an update on organizing drives on Local 6 turf and introduced Shawn Roy, a general laborer at Blue Diamond.
“The reason we need to organize is that we have no voice,” Roy said. “We have no respect. We have bad pay and we’re not treated the way people should be treated. Blue Diamond has been cited by the NLRB with more than 20 violations and they have threatened us with moving the plant.
“We need employer neutrality. Neutrality keeps employers from intimidating employees.”

Sandra Andrews, aide to Congresswoman Barbara Lee, (D-CA), brought greetings from the Congresswoman:
“’Thank you for doing everything you do, and congratulations on your 60th anniversary’” Andrews said, quoting Lee. “I have a certificate to present on your 60th anniversary, because you are the backbone of what we do in our district. As your Congresswoman says, the way Calif. goes the rest of the nation goes.

“The Congresswoman sent a statement in support. It reads—‘It is my pleasure to give the following statement in support of warehouse union Local 6, ILWU members gathered here today on the occasion of your 60th annual convention. I whole-heartedly support the efforts of the ILWU and others who share your vision, and have come together to congratulate your hard work and dedication in improving working conditions for all people. I am confident that as you begin another year of organizing and advocacy, and you are the greatest advocates we have.’”

Bob McEllrath finished his speech with words of support for the local:
“We need the support of the rank and file,” he said. “Today I guess you’ll be working on some resolutions and some things to take to the table. Whether you get your point across, win or lose in your debate, once this convention closes up get behind your officers, get behind your bargaining team, show support, don’t let them crack us, don’t let them think the membership isn’t in support of the union. Win lose or draw, when this convention closes we are united and we are going to get a contract. The International officers and the International union are here to support you.”