Film, history and labor activism will come together in San Pedro during the month of April, beginning with a big labor march that will climax with a massive rally on the docks of San Pedro.

A local film festival is scheduled to begin a few days later where the ILWU will present the new photo exhibit about the 1934 longshore strike – and will screen the ILWU documentary film about the 2002 employer lockout called, “Eye of the Storm.”Marching from Hollywood to the docks

About 20,000 longshore workers in Southern California are covered by a contract that expires on July 1, part of 350,000 union workers in Southern California who also have contracts expiring in 2008.
 
Hollywood to the Docks is the name given to the three-day march organized by the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor that will involve dozens of unions – including the ILWU – with the goal of generating unity and positive media attention.

“Hollywood to the Docks is going to be big,” said ILWU International Vice President Joe Radisich, who is scheduled to speak at the wrap-up rally on April 17th that will be held at Berth 87 at 6pm in San Pedro. “We’re expecting thousands of union members and supporters to be at the rally for good jobs.”

The march will begin on the morning of April 15th with a rally outside the offices of the Screen Actors Guild in Hollywood.  Workers from dozens of unions will then begin their 28-mile march, arriving two days later at the Harbor on the 17th.

“We’re reaching out to the community  in this event,” says Local 63 Secretary/BA Peter  Peyton. “There’s a lot at stake in 2008; not just for ILWU members but for the whole community.”

In addition to Local 63, all ILWU locals in Southern California are being invited and encouraged to attend. The Southern California District Council is helping to spread the word.Docks on the big screen

After “Hollywood to the Docks” wraps-up in San Pedro, the ILWU will join forces with local community leaders to co-sponsor the 5th annual “Los Angeles Harbor International Film Festival” (LAHIFF), which runs from Thursday, April 24th through Sunday, April 27th.

LAHIFF organizer Stephanie Mardesich - a third-generation San Pedran whose family worked in the canneries - announced the union’s sponsorship at the festival’s media kick-off and got a nice round of applause.

“The ILWU’s support is a huge boost to our festival,” said Mardesich. “Your organization has a high profile at the port, and your commitment to building strong community, culture and education is gaining more recognition and support each year,” she said.

The ILWU’s documentary, “Eye of the Storm,” produced by independent filmmaker Amie Williams in 2007, will be shown at the Warner Grand Theater on Sunday, April 27th at noon, part of “Documentary Sunday” program on the festival’s final day.

Legacy of 1934 Exhibit premiere
The film festival’s closing reception will feature the ILWU’s historical exhibit entitled, “The Men Along the Shore and the Legacy of 1934.” The event will be held Sunday afternoon, with a public showing of the exhibition that same evening.  Both events will be held at the Grand Vision Foundation Events Center at 434 W. 6th Street, just a few doors down from the Warner Grand Theater in San Pedro.

For more information
Learn more about “Hollywood to the Docks” by contacting your local union, and visiting www.hollywoodtothedocks.com or calling the L.A. County Fed at (213) 381-5611.

For more about the film festival, go to www.laharborfilmfest.com.  All screenings will be at San Pedro’s historic Warner Grand Theater, located at 638 W. 6th Street.  Video of Stephanie Mardesich thanking the ILWU can be viewed at www.youtube.com/4theilwu.

For more about “The Men Along the Shore and the Legacy of 1934,” see www.ilwu.org where you can also read an article about the exhibit
in last month’s issue of the Dispatcher.