ILWU May Day 2021: Remembering the past, fighting for the future

From the desert to the docks, ILWU members marked May Day 2021 with a range of celebrations that honored labor history while also looking to current struggles as workers fight to secure a better future. In San Francisco, Bay Area ILWU/ IBU locals joined with other labor union members to recreate the 1934 march up Market Street in San Francisco to honor the cities general strike of that year.

In Tacoma, Local 23 members joined a May Day march in support of the PRO ACT which would roll back decades of attacks on workers’ rights and make it easier for workers to form a union. And in Boron, CA Local 30 members held a BBQ to build unity around their contract negotiations which are currently underway.

Solidarity BBQ in Boron

ILWU Local 30 recently began contract negotiations with mining giant, Rio Tinto. On May Day, they held a solidarity barbeque to bring members together for an informational and educational event about their contract fight and to show support and solidarity from the International and Southern California ILWU locals. Approximately 200 people attended the event including close to 80 members of Local 30 along with their families, members from ILWU Locals 13 and 20, the Southern California District Council, and members from Auxiliary 8. ILWU International President Willie Adams, Vice President (Mainland) Bobby Olvera, and Secretary-Treasurer Ed Ferris also attended the event along with ILWU Organizer Director Ryan Dowling, Southern California Lead Organizer Carlos Cordon, Researcher Bridget Wack, ILWU Education Director Robin Walker, and ILWU Communications Director Roy San Filippo. Attendees received an informational packet containing the ILWU pamphlet “How the Union Works,” a flash drive loaded with the documentary Locked Out about the 2010 lockout of ILWU Local 30 members by Rio Tinto, a documentary about the ILWU, and historical photos of Local 30 members. Local 30 Sergeant at Arms and Negotiating Team Member Demetrius Freeman was the pitmaster for the day. He brought his smoker and served hamburgers, hot dogs, and his signature pulled pork.

Organizing to win a fair contract

“We reached out to the International about doing some internal organizing. It’s been a while since we have brought the members together to teach them what being a union member is about,” explained Local 30 President Thomas Marshall.” “The contract is set to expire on May 17. We want the members invigorated and organized and we want them to understand how much we can accomplish by being one unit. We wanted to invite everyone down and get them information on what they can do, how they can help, and for them to realize the difference we can make if we work together. He added, “You want to hope for the best but plan in case things go in the other direction. We need to be organized and be on the same page with one another so we can work together and win a fair contract.”

Solidarity from the harbor

Approximately 20 members from ILWU Local 20 in Wilmington attended as a show of solidarity. Local 20 and Local 30 both share the same employer, Rio Tinto. Local 20 members process the products from Boron in Rio Tinto’s Wilmington plant which then get sent out around the world.

“We came out here today to support Local 30, our sister local. Solidarity is the most important part of a union.,” said Local 20 President Mike Gonzalo. “Without it, there is no way you are going to beat a company as big as Rio Tinto. The power of a union comes from its people. There is power in numbers. No one can do this alone and that is why solidarity is so important.”

Local 20 will be in contract negotiations with Rio Tinto in 2022 when their contract expires. Local 20 Vice President John Muck and Local 20 SecretaryTreasurer Brandon Clemison were also a part of the Local 20 delegation. “I’m here today to show my solidarity with Local 30 and to remind them the locals across the ILWU are concerned about their issues and stand with them,” said Local 13 Executive Board member David Ross Jr.

“Our union has always been about protecting workers. If we don’t stand together, no one else will. If a local reaches out and asks for support, we need to be there in a moment’s notice.” Strength and unity in the desert

Local 30 President Thomas Marshall and ILWU International President Willie Adams both briefly addressed the membership. Marshall welcomed everyone to the event before updating them on the status of negotiations.

“We wanted to get together and show a little bit of unity and solidarity,” he said. “We are in contract negotiations with the company. We’ve met about four times. So far, things are somewhat smooth but when you do contract negotiations with Rio Tinto, they don’t do anything out of the kindness of their heart.”

Marshall explained that current issues of contention include Rio Tinto’s attempt to introduce job consolidation language into the contract that would permit the company to assign employees to work out of their classification and do other workers’ work which could lead to further understaffing. He also said that the company wants the ability to unilaterally put all departments on a 12-hour shift without a vote by workers.

Marshall was followed by President Adams who said that the Titled Officers and the membership of the ILWU will be standing solidly behind the members of Local 30. Adams began with a letter of support and solidarity from the CFMEU which represents miners in Australia.

“They are thinking about you and said that they are only 15 hours away by plane,” Adams said. “[Rio Tinto] is making plenty of money off the backs of every union member who works night and day under tough conditions and deserve every dollar they earn. We are prepared to do whatever it takes to support our brothers and sisters of the ILWU and their families in this upcoming battle. Your fight is our fight. Touch one, touch all,” the letter stated.

Adams said that International Secretary-Treasurer Ed Ferris will be available to Local 30 to sit in on negotiations. “

You have to be prepared for anything that Rio Tinto throws at you,” Adams said. “You have fought for and stood up for your membership. You see the support that you have—Local 20, Local 30, the Southern California District Council, the Federated Auxiliary—are all here for you today. This is solidarity at its best. Thomas is the general and the International is here to support you, whatever you need.” Adams noted the sacrifice made by working-class communities during the pandemic who bore the brunt of the economic and health crisis. “Working-class people have always been heroes without capes,” Adams said. “We have always been essential. The reason that Rio Tinto makes all the profits that it does is because of the work done by the members of Local 30. We need to make sure you get your fair share so you can take care of your families. As we come out of this pandemic, a lot of businesses failed. We want our communities to come back stronger, more vibrant than ever.”

Lessons from the lockout

The experience of the 2010 lockout by Rio Tinto still resonates deeply with Local 30 members. They recalled the impact that being locked out by their employer had on them, and the importance of the solidarity from ILWU members and trade unions around the world had in enabling them to weather the storm. The lockout of 560 Local 30 members and their families began at 7:00 a.m. on January 31, 2010 and lasted until a settlement was approved by workers on May 17, 2010. Rio Tinto was forced to negotiate because of unity and support in the high desert communities and from the solidarity that came from workers across the ILWU and unions around the world. “When the contract negotiations didn’t go well in 2009, we worked for three-and-half months without a contract. We were more than happy to keep working while we negotiated a fair contract, but the company didn’t feel that way,” recalled Local 30 Executive Board member Tom Owens who is also a member of the 2021 Contract Negotiating Team. “They brought in a union-busting security firm called Gettier. Their goal was to get an injunction against us. For most of the lockout, Rio Tinto refused to talk with us. They weren’t offering us a fair deal. There weren’t negotiating. They were trying to impose a contract.” Tom was one of several Local 30 members who hit the road to visit with ILWU locals and other unions around the country to build support for the locked-out miners. “I went to speak at Local 13 on a few occasions,” Owens said. “I traveled to Portland and to Seattle to speak with the locals up there. We had rallies and events here in Boron and ILWU members showed up. They set up a food bank and other support for Local 30 members. Some people were less prepared than perhaps they should have been. That solidarity really helped and got a lot of people through a tough time.” Local 30 Trustee and negotiating team member Raymond Umsted recalled the biggest lesson he learned from the lockout. “When a corporation doesn’t want you to have something, they don’t care what your feelings are or how good of a job you have done. They don’t care if you hurt. They don’t care if your family hurts,” he said. “It doesn’t matter what they do to me now. They’ve already locked me out once along with half of this union. I’ll be prepared.”