ILWU dockworkers on the West Coast will stop work for nine minutes on Tuesday morning, June 9th, at
9 a.m. Pacific Time, to honor George Floyd who was brutally murdered by four Minneapolis Police officers
on May 25th.
“Our union has a long history of confronting racism on the job, in our communities and around the world,”
said ILWU International President Willie Adams, “Today we’re joining millions of people who are
demanding justice and fundamental change.”
Adams says that unions have a special role to play in this case.
“Our responsibility in this moment runs deeper than usual because one part of the system that protects the
officers involved in Mr. Floyd’s death is a union: the Police Officers Federation of Minneapolis,” explained
Adams. He noted that the president of the Minneapolis police union has a history of racism and complaints
of violence – the opposite of the goals of the ILWU and the Labor Movement, which are rooted in the fight
for racial equality and justice. “There’s no place in the Labor Movement for any leader who defends the
kind of depraved act that murdered Mr. Floyd,” said Adams.
The ILWU’s June 9th action honoring Mr. Floyd, adds to the chorus of voices protesting police brutality
and systemic racism. The ILWU joins with a growing number of labor groups who are calling for
the immediate resignation of the president of the Minneapolis police union.
The ILWU condemns all forms of racism, and states in no uncertain terms: Black Lives Matter. The union
calls on all elected officials in local, state, and the federal government to open their eyes and hearts, to
initiate real change in our current system, and root-out institutionalized racism and police brutality that
have plagued our country and our citizens for far too long.