Global dockers, ILWU strengthen bonds of solidarity at IDC 9th General Assembly

A diverse delegation of ILWU longshore workers joined more than 400 other delegates at the International Dockers Council’s (IDC) 9th General Assembly in New Orleans, LA from May 25-26. It was the largest ILWU delegation ever sent to an IDC Assembly.

The ILWU delegation included representatives from the Coast Longshore Division, the Hawaii Longshore Division, and the Alaska Longshore Division, along with ILWU Canada President Rob Ashton.

ILWU International Vice President (Mainland) Bobby Olvera, Jr, the IDC’s West Coast Zone Coordinator, ILWU International Vice President (Hawaii) Sam Kreutz, and ILWU International Secretary-Treasurer Ed Ferris were all a part of the delegation.

General Coordinators report

IDC General Coordinator Dennis Daggett from the International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) delivered a report that touched on many of the themes that surfaced throughout the two-day Assembly: strengthening international solidarity, defending dockworkers under attack by employers and governments, fighting automation and privatization, fighting against discrimination based on race, gender, and sexual orientation and improving the IDC organizational structure.

“With the struggles and strikes that we’ve experienced in Portugal, Australia, South America, and other parts of the world, I hope by now we all understand the importance of international solidarity and unity,” Daggett said. “Governments, employers, and the ocean carriers do not want to see a unified global docker movement. They don’t even want to see it in the United States. ILWU International President Willie Adams at our last ILA convention delivered one of the most powerful speeches I have ever experienced. He bridged the gap between the two coasts in the United States, and the ILA’s bond with the ILWU is stronger than ever.”

Daggett urged the delegates to adopt a unified position opposing automation of the ports, saying it destroyed jobs and was less efficient than dockworkers in loading and unloading cargo. “Automation eliminates jobs, period,” he said. “There’s no other way around it. You can sugarcoat it all you want. Automation eliminates our jobs. Nobody on the other side has proven to me that automation is more productive than an actual butt in the seat.”

Honoring the Liverpool dockers’ struggle

The Assembly also paid tribute to the Liverpool dockers’ strike that lasted 28 months between 1995 and 1998. That struggle ended in defeat for the Liverpool dockers and was the precursor to the eventual formation of IDC in 2000. A video was shown that honored Liverpool dockworker leaders Jimmy Nolan (who passed away earlier this year), along with Tony Nelson and Terry Teague. Each was awarded a medal of distinction in recognition of their enormous contributions to the global dockworker movement.

The IDC’s slogan, “We will never walk alone again,” was inspired by the recognition of the international dockworker movement’s failures to adequately come to the defense of the Liverpool dockers.

Daggett and IDC International Labor Coordinator Jordi Aragunde both tattooed the slogan on their forearms.

“Their vision was to have a rank-and-file run, democratic organization with no bureaucratic nonsense,” Daggett said. “Hence, the IDC was created on the principles of direct participation, assembly, and solidarity. And that’s why we’re in this room today.”

Zone Coordinator reports

Delegates heard reports from the Zone Coordinators, getting updates on struggles in Latin America and the Caribbean, Africa, Asia and Oceania, Europe, and the East and West Coasts of the United States.

In Latin America and Caribbean Zone report, the General Assembly heard details of dockers under attack in Brazil, Uruguay, Argentina, and Ecuador where port privatization efforts are underway. Delegates also heard about the violent persecution and repression of dockworker leaders in Colombia and El Salvador that have included death threats and assassinations.

The Africa Zone report highlighted progress in Côte d’Ivoire, including the legal recognition of dockworkers. However, dock work in much of the continent remains precarious with poor wages and conditions for many dockers throughout the region. The need for modernization of maritime laws, implementation of training and safety standards, the need to combat the widespread use of casual and informal labor in the ports, and the need to hold multi-national corporations accountable were emphasized.

The European Zone report included a report on the struggle by Portuguese dockworkers in the Port of Lisbon. The Stevedoring and Logistics Activity Union (SEAL) has been on strike since February of 2020. Delegates also heard a report from the BTB Belgium young dockers movement.

West Coast Zone Coordinator report

ILWU International Vice President (Mainland) Bobby Olvera, Jr. gave the West Coast Zone Coordinator report. He spoke about the importance of educating new generations. He used the analogy of the importance of learning your grandmother’s recipes so that her knowledge and legacy don’t pass with her.

“The recipes I have learned are a reflection of the 28 individual members of my family, on both my mother and father’s side, that have loaded and unloaded ships along the West Coast since 1901,” Olvera said, noting that his grandfather and great uncle were both members of the ILA in the Port of Los Angeles pre 1934 and charter members of ILWU Local 13.

“This has come full circle for me. We are a family. Dockers—it matters not whether you are SEAL, ILA, ILWU, or MUA, we are all one. We walk the same gangways. We unlash the same ships, we move the same cargo. I hope we take back a sense of education and solidarity to those that come behind us,” said Olvera.

“We have an obligation to those that come behind us to teach them the victories, the struggles, and yes, even the losses, so they understand the culture and the recipe of what your unionism is about,” continued Olvera. “It’s not about always taking and having and owning. It’s about giving. It’s about serving. It’s about working tirelessly until you cross that finish line. And that’s what we will do together.”

ILWU Canada President Rob Ashton also addressed the Assembly during the West Coast report. Ashton brought words of solidarity and unity. He said that ILWU Canada would be there for any docker around the world even though ILWU Canada is not an IDC affiliate.

“Our longshore contract is up next year on March 31. We could be in for a big struggle just like every other union in this room,” Ashton said. “I know that one day, I will probably need somebody’s help that is sitting here today. I know that same person or another person will need the help of ILWU Canada. Just because we don’t sit in the IDC does not mean we won’t be there. Because the slogan that you all use, ‘We shall never walk alone, again,’ rings true no matter who you are, where you are, or what corners of the earth you’re from.”

Hawaii Longshore Division Director Dustin Dawson also addressed Assembly, pledging support and solidarity to dockers who need assistance.

Resolutions and elections

The assembly adopted more than a dozen resolutions addressing a range of issues to strengthen collective bargaining rights, equality at work, health and safety, building international support and solidarity for dockers around the world as well as making several organizational changes.

• Delegates unanimously adopted a resolution on diversity and inclusion, declaring itself an anti-fascist, anti-homophobic, anti-racist and anti-bullying organization.“Non-discrimination on the basis of birth, ethnicity, sex, class, age, ability, or any other personal or social circumstance involving discrimination of any kind is a non-negotiable principle,” the resolution stated.

• The Assembly voted to change the terms of office from two to four years, with a biannual conference in between Assemblies.
• The delegates unanimously passed a resolution that IDC-affiliated unions who refuse to adhere to the IDC Constitution – such as refusing to pay membership dues –will be expelled by the governing body of IDC delegates. Delegates also affirmed their commitment to standing behind all dockworkers under attack, regardless of their affiliation status with the IDC.

Dennis Daggett was re-elected as IDC’s General Coordinator through 2026. Daggett said the IDC emerged from the Assembly stronger and more united.

“No employer, no shipping company, no terminal operator, or any government will out-muscle or out-maneuver the IDC in our objective to provide power and representation to our membership around the world,” he said.

In the West Coast Zone, ILWU International Secretary-Treasurer Ed Ferris was elected Coordinator to replace Bobby Olvera, Jr. who stepped aside because of other obligations.

Paul Keating, Oceania and Asian Zone Coordinator; Andy Green, European Zone Coordinator; César Luna, Latin American and Caribbean Zone Coordinator; Ken Riley. East Coast Zone Coordinator; and Guigrehi Aklégbou Pierre, African Zone Coordinator; were all elected to return to their posts.

Stronger together

The ILWU delegates were energized by their experience at the IDC and the chance to meet, connect and learn from dockworkers all over the world.

“The IDC Assembly was a revitalizing experience,” said Local 13 member Marty Cerda, “It was filled with passionate speakers from around the world, pledging renewed dockworker solidarity. The event embodied everything global working-class solidarity should look like. We shared challenges, perspectives, and potential solutions. Above all, we promised to be there for each other when called on, because we’re stronger together.”

Eddie Hayashi, Vice Director of the Hawaii Longshore Division, said that the Assembly exceeded his expectations and that hearing from the experience of dockworkers around the world was a learning opportunity. “It was very different from what I experienced in Hawaii. To have the opportunity to have this international exposure, to experience the camaraderie, and to see how different ports are throughout the world, was very educational for us.”