It’s about policies, not political parties or politicians

President’s message:

Bobby Olvera, Jr.
International President

Sisters, Brothers, and Fellow Workers,

After the November presidential election, the Dispatcher wrote: “With Republican control of all three branches of government, the Trump Administration will have free rein to enact his agenda. We will soon see whether Donald Trump delivers for Workers or for Wall Street.”

The answer to that question started coming into focus on Inauguration Day when billionaires like Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, and Mark Zuckerberg were given front-row seats. Since then, President Trump has appointed the wealthiest cabinet in history.

Wall Street and Silicon Valley venture capitalists are more than well-represented in the Trump Administration, and Elon Musk (the richest individual on earth) has been given the keys to our entire government without any oversight. The voices of Main Street families and hometown workers are absent and silenced in this administration.

In the first 12 weeks of Trump’s presidency, we have seen an unprecedented assault on workers including an ongoing effort by the Trump Administration to strip 1 million federal workers of their fundamental rights.  This is the single largest union busting action in U.S history.

The Trump Administration’s actions these past several months, supported by Republican Party leadership, are serious threats to long-standing civil and political rights, highlighted by the aforementioned attack on the rights of federal workers. Democratic Party leadership and their rank and file members of Congress, with a few notable exceptions, have failed the American worker and can no longer be relied upon to be an effective opposition to the war on the working class.

Adapting to changing times

Our union must adjust how we approach politics in Washington, D.C. and our state capitols to confront this new reality. Our new political program is focused on protecting the jurisdiction of all Locals and Divisions within the ILWU, enshrining the rights of organized labor and putting policies that benefit ILWU members at the center of our strategy.

As reported in the Dispatcher, the International and Coast Officers have made some significant changes, we have expanded the Coast Longshore Division Legislative Committee, established a new Legislative committee that represents the Warehouse, Hospitality and Marine Divisions, we retained a new government relations and political consulting firm in Washington, D.C. that will work with the Officers and Legislative Committees to roll out our new political program. This will maximize our ability to defend the interests of the ILWU and its rank and file membership while assisting us in working with legislators on both sides of the aisle.

The ILWU will no longer offer blind allegiance to any political party or individual politician. Our loyalty is to our rank-and-file membership and the values and principles upon which this union was built. The ILWU will staunchly defend our membership across every division, every region, and every industry throughout this union. We will continue to speak up and speak out about the impact the current policies are having on our union and working-class families.

IEB updates

In my first Dispatcher column, I laid out the expectations the Titled Officers and the International Executive Board set for ourselves and the work we committed to doing. The new committee structure we created is up and running, and I wanted to give you a brief update on what they have been doing to deliver on our promises to the membership of the ILWU.

The International Organizing Committee has met several times to discuss ways to organize new workers. The IOC will meet in person at April’s International Executive Board to discuss field implementation, including identifying new targets, exploring existing relationships, and utilizing collective bargaining agreements to engage the unorganized and continue to build the ILWU.

The Policies and Programs Committee has met three times to discuss issues and find common ground on important issues. Through their collective work they have drafted a statement of policy on the Trump Administration’s tariffs that will be discussed, debated, and voted on at the April International Executive Board. In the coming months, the committee will be drafting statements of policy regarding other key issues impacting ILWU Locals, Divisions, and Members.  These statements of policy will serve to guide our union in our decisions, actions, and priorities.

The Education Committee has met four times.  The Committee recently finished updating and renaming the outdated “How the Union Works”, an educational pamphlet describing the ILWU’s structure and democratic decision-making process. The new version is called “How Our Union Works” and more correctly describes each division within the ILWU.  The Committee now moves to an even larger and more exciting project, they will begin working on the next version of “The ILWU Story”, a publication that details the ILWU’s history but that has not been updated for over 20 years. I look forward to the completion of their work and to sharing both our longstanding history and introducing two decades of history that has gone undocumented.

The Communications Committee has met three times and has been working to redesign the front page banner for the Dispatcher, provide general guidance and feedback on the newspaper’s content, and help generate specific story ideas.   In future meetings, the Committee will continue to advise on our newspaper’s content and will discuss the use of social media as a tool for communication with the membership.

The Legislative Committees have met four times to discuss the legislative priorities and strategies for ILWU locals and Divisions, including:

• Monitoring executive orders that threaten federal funding and agencies that help unions;
• Opposing legislation that taxes health care benefits;
• Monitoring legislation and executive orders that threaten public sector workers and their right to bargain and be part of a union;
• Tracking proposals on artificial intelligence and automation in the workplace;
• Tracking executive orders and legislation that threaten the Jones Act;
• Tracking funding and changes to housing assistance programs and eligibility requirements;
• Protecting Social Security and Medicare.

We will continue to update you on the work of these committees in future issues of the Dispatcher.

Our fight remains the same

While we may be living in a very different world politically, the work of our union has not changed. The last three months have underscored the importance of solidarity and having strong unions in our communities. The labor movement and the ILWU have been essential forces in defending democracy and civil rights. We will continue to amplify our voices and our stories –judiciously and deliberately – to protect our livelihoods and our future. The ILWU will be crucial to these fights in the coming years, and we all have a collective responsibility to do our part to ensure the continued strength of our union and the security of our members and their families.