International Executive Board meets in San Pedro
The ILWU International Executive Board met at the Local 13 offices in
San Pedro, CA, from December 10-12. The Executive Board rotates through different regions as part of the Titled Officers’ efforts to re-engage the membership and increase transparency by making it easier for rank-and-file members to attend and observe the Board’s work. Over 70 rank-and-file members attended the meeting, mainly from Southern California ILWU locals. A delegation of Hawaii Longshore Division members, along with members from ILWU Canada and Local 19 in Seattle, were also present.
The IEB heard reports on the union’s legislative and organizing efforts, a financial report from the union’s trustees, area reports from Executive Board members, and
updates from the Titled Officers. The meeting was dedicated in honor of ILWU International Representative and Hawaii Longshore Division member Hopena Pokipala. Local 142 President Chris West described Hopena’s impact on the
union’s work and called him an exceptional young man.
International President Bobby Olvera, Jr. recognized Local 13 President Gary Herrera, who welcomed everyone to San Pedro and the Local 13 offices.
Recognizing a hero
First on the agenda was the Board’s special recognition of Local 94 member Priscilla Appell for her heroism and quick thinking in providing life-saving assistance to a drowning victim at the 2025 ILWU Women’s Conference (see the article in the October 2025 issue of the Dispatcher).
ILWU Education Director Robin Walker and President Olvera presented a certificate of recognition, signed by the Titled Officers, to Appell. Appell thanked the Board for the recognition and described how the empowerment and energy from the conference, along with her extensive safety training as a foreman and former lifeguard, gave her the confidence to act.
Mainland organizing report
Organizing Director Ryan Dowling gave an extensive Mainland organizing report, including updates on regional International Organizing Committee meetings that bring together Executive Board members to identify targets and engage rank-and-file membership in organizing efforts across the West Coast and in Alaska.
The report also included updates on organizing efforts in the Columbia River, Puget Sound, Northern California, Southern California, the
IBU, and Alaska.
Local 56 President Albert Ramirez was recognized to speak during the report. He thanked the Titled Officers, the International Organizing Department, and ILWU General ssistance in rebuilding the local and achieving significant contract gains
in new collective bargaining agreements with their signatory contractors. Local 56 provides hazardous materials clean-up and spill prevention services. Ramirez said the new leadership at the local is committed to transparency, accountability, and organizing.
Assistant Organizing Director Jon Brier gave an update on the supply chain and logistics organizing campaign. He described how thousands of jobs have been moved away from the docks, inland, over the past few decades, to places like the Kent Valley in Washington State and the Inland Empire in Southern California. He emphasized how organizing down the supply chain was about the fight for the ILWU’s future, power, and jobs.
Hawaii Report
ILWU International Vice President (Hawaii) Brandon Wolff delivered the Hawaii organizing report and discussed the organizational approach used there, highlighting the importance of strong leadership, safeguarding the interests
of current members, avoiding division, and increasing membership.
Operations Director Brenson Wailehua provided an update on legislative efforts related to issues such as the minimum wage, addressing Hawaii’s housing crisis, and protecting the Jones Act.
Washington, DC legislative report Senior Policy Advisor Alexa Jurczak delivered the legislative report, highlighting key policy issues affecting ILWU members. Jurczak said that the Trump Administration continues to prioritize AI deployment. She noted the successful efforts of the ILWU in defeating attempts to insert a provision into two pieces of legislation that would have prevented states from regulating AI for 10 years. The ILWU issued a call to action that mobilized members and pensioners, helped defeat the AI moratorium provision in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act this past summer, and again blocked a similar provision from being included in the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). Jurczak
also stated that efforts to protect anti-automation provisions in the NDAA were also successful.
The report also noted that Affordable Care Act subsidies are set to expire
at the end of the year. The recent government shutdown resulted from a fight by Senate Democrats to include an extension of ACA subsidies in the government funding bill. Congress’s failure to pass the ACA subsidy extension will lead to premium increases becoming unaffordable for many working-class families, and millions of people are expected to lose healthcare coverage, raising healthcare costs for everyone.
Jurczak also highlighted potential cuts to Medicare. The administration’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act significantly increases the deficit, which may trigger automatic $45 billion in Medicare cuts unless Congress passes legislation to
raise the debt ceiling next year.
On Friday, the Board heard a report-back from Joulene Parent of ILWU Canada’s Local 500 on the Maritime Union of Australia First Nations Maritime Workers Conference, held from July 22-24. (See the September 2025 issue of the Dispatcher.) Parent attended the conference as part of the ILWU delegation, led by Vice President Brandon Wolff, which included members of the Hawaii Longshore Division. The conference brought together 100 Indigenous unionists and allies from Chile, Hawaii, Canada, the U.S. Mainland, New Zealand, and across Australia.
“The delegates gathered to share lived experiences of colonization, economic exclusion, workplace racism, and political resistance—reinforcing global solidarity in the fight for Indigenous rights and worker justice,” Parent said.
President’s Report
In his report, President Olvera reflected on the past year and the
Board’s changes and accomplishments. He noted that the International Departments and IEB subcommittees are on track and ahead of schedule for the year plan. “I could not be more proud of every one of you, including our staff; I am going to ask for more from you because we’ve got work to do.”
Referencing Joulene’s Parent’s presentation, Olvera also emphasized the
need for the union to commit to Indigenous partnerships, including dedicating resources to fostering strong relationships. “We have to have a global
plan about how we develop a true relationship with the First Nations, not just
when jobs are not at stake,” he said.
The ILWU Versus Fascism
The Executive Board unanimously adopted a Statement of Policy titled
“The ILWU Versus Fascism.” The statement highlights the union’s long-standing fight against fascism, emphasizes that democratic, working-class unionism is incompatible with fascism, and underscores the moral obligation to uphold the union’s anti-fascist legacy.
The statement cites the Nazi rise to power to show how fascist power structures develop gradually and intentionally. It lists early Nazi policies, including restrictions on ‘non-German’ workers, the devaluation and persecution of disabled people, and the forced emigration of Jewish Germans, to illustrate how these measures paved the way for even more horrific policies of violence and extermination. The statement stresses the need to remain vigilant against the threats posed by fascism, racism, and authoritarianism, and urges the labor movement to join the ILWU in condemning the rise of fascism and commit to ending it in all forms. Read the full text of the statement starting on page 2.
Other decisions by the Board include approval of a $5,000 donation to the Port of West Sacramento Community Alliance to support their work protecting the Port of West Sacramento. The Board also approved $3,000 a month for 12 months to support the Southern California IBU’s ongoing efforts to protect their work and jurisdiction in the ports of LA and Long Beach; the Hawaii Longshore Division pledged an additional $14,000 to support the IBU. The Board approved a
$2,000 donation to Starbucks Workers United to support the ongoing strike by workers; Local 63 OCU pledged an additional $500.
The meeting was adjourned in memory of Maritime Union of Australia veteran Glen Wood after the Board learned of his passing.
The next Executive Board will meet in Honolulu in April of 2026.