Inlandboatmen’s Union tackles challenges, embraces opportunities at 25th Convention
Delegates and guests met via Zoom for the Inlandboatmen’s Union of the Pacific’s (IBU) 25th Convention November 10-13. The convention sets the course of the IBU for the next three years. The decision to hold the convention virtually was made to ensure the health and safety of delegates as the country continues to recover from the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
Challenges and opportunities
In his address, IBU President Jay Ubelhart discussed the impact that COVID has had on the union, causing a significant decline in membership due to layoffs on ferry systems along the West Coast. Ubelhart also said that in addition to the challenges presented by the pandemic, 2021 also brought new battles to the IBU.
“Region 37, our cannery workers region, lost its only contract when Peter Pan Seafoods was sold to a private equity firm, and the new owners refused to recognize the contract with the IBU,” said Ubelhart. “Westoil in Southern California had its work cannibalized by its own parent company, Centerline, who set up another company, Leo Marine, to underbid contracts that were IBU jurisdiction for decades and caused layoffs of IBU workers and a beef with the Seafarers International Union (SIU), a predatory union per our Constitution.” (See June 2021 Dispatcher for more details about this fight).
Those fights are ongoing and there have been positive developments on both fronts, Ubelhart explained.
“In August the new Peter Pan company offered the IBU recognition if we would drop our National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) charges and agree to negotiate a contract for the seafood workers at their plants in Alaska. Part of the reason they came to us is the difficulty of keeping a trained workforce that will work long, hard hours in remote areas of Alaska and come back to do it again the next season,” he said.
Ubelhart reported another positive development. He said the NLRB is close to a decision on at least nine pending charges against Leo Marine. A positive ruling from the Board could help resolve the issue in favor of the union. “None of these battles could have been fought effectively without the wholehearted support of the ILWU International,” said Ubelhart. “They have helped us strategically with the help of the International Organizing Department, and financially by giving us access and support from their legal team. I’m thankful that the ILWU has had our backs in these fights.”
Because of the pandemic, Ubelhart said that the IBU membership levels are at their lowest in decades and that increasing membership is a priority for the union.
“Some of the increase will come as laid-off workers are rehired. Other gains must come from new members,” Ubelhart said, noting several recent successful organizing campaigns. “We are working to conclude a new contract with the Scripps Institution of Oceanography in San Diego that could add 50 to 70 new members,” he said. “With the help of the ILWU organizer Jon Brier, we recently got recognition for a group at North American Energy Services, which operates the first liquefied natural gas (LNG) plant on the Pacific Coast, which will eventually be able to bunker LNG-powered ships in Tacoma. Hawaii gave us great news when Sause Bros. bought the assets of Kirby a non-union outfit, making Honolulu 100% union waterfront.”
ILWU President Willie Adams
In his address to the convention, ILWU International President Willie Adams thanked IBU members for rising to meet the challenges they have faced over the past three years and encouraged them to look forward and prepare for opportunities ahead.
“We are living in a polarized society. If people can’t find hope in the ILWU and the IBU, there is no hope in America for the working class. And to the heroes—the workers of the IBU who show up day-in and day-out—in the face of the headwinds of COVID, supply chain congestion, and other issues–you’re going to work every day carrying the flag of the IBU and for workers worldwide,” Adams said. “Now more than ever, workers across this country are striking, standing up, speaking truth to power. Now is our time. It is not time for us to be weak or not take a position on important issues. We have to move forward, we have to be smart, and we have to fight on higher ground.”
Adams concluded by praising the new generation of emerging workers in the union. “I am so excited about our young workers. They are the future. I know our union will be strong as the next generation takes the mantle of leadership,” Adams said.
ILWU Secretary-Treasurer Ed Ferris
ILWU International Secretary-Treasurer Ed Ferris spoke about the ILWU and IBU’s long history and the shared values and traditions of both organizations. “I just want to say how much I appreciate the relationship between the ILWU and the IBU,” Ferris said. “You have such long, rich history. The IBU was one of the most progressive unions dating back to 1918. You were one of the first organizations progressive enough to empower women and appreciate diversity. That’s why it was such a great fit when you affiliated with the ILWU in the 1980s.”
ILWU Vice-President (Hawaii) Sam Kreutz
ILWU International Vice President (Hawaii) Sam Kreutz spoke briefly to the delegates and reinforced that the ILWU International will continue to have the IBU’s back. “We are in a new era. We’ve all been turning our lives upside down and adjusting to this new environment these last few years,” Kreutz said. “I just want to wish everybody the best of luck and to stick together in solidarity. You have the ILWU backing you on every agenda.” ILWU International Vice-President (Mainland) Bobby Olvera, Jr. was scheduled to speak at the convention, but technical difficulties prevented him from addressing the meeting.
ITF Inspectors
The convention also heard from International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) Inspectors Jeff Engels, Stefan Muller-Dombois, and Sam Levins who spoke about the ITF’s Flags of Convenience campaign and their ongoing efforts with local health departments to get seafarers vaccinated. The program has vaccinated thousands of seafarers with the single-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine.
Local 400 President Jason Woods
ILWU Local 400, Marine Section President Jason Woods spoke about ongoing efforts to organize transport and allied workers and the Local’s commitment to the First Peoples of coastal British Columbia. “We know the First Nations were the first seafarers and dockers on our coasts long before European settlement,” Woods said. “We have recognized First Nations in some of our agreements where new coastal work is developing. We also recognize there are significant barriers to entry into the industry, including requirements for training and certification. Therefore, we have started annual scholarships for First Nations people to pay for tuitions and defray the costs of travel and accommodation for those from coastal communities that to travel to study.”
Honoring Richard Gurtiza
The convention took time to honor the retirement of former IBU Region 37 Director Richard Gurtiza. He has been a member of the union since 1977 and served as Regional Director from 1993 until 2020.
Jay Ubelhart thanked Gurtiza for 27 years of service as a Regional Director and for the pivotal role he played as a rank-and-file leader helping to reform and democratize the Local in the 1980s.
Gurtiza expressed his appreciation for being able to be a part of the union for nearly half a century. “I couldn’t hold my head up higher being part of this organization,” Gurtiza said. “When I’m out in the field—to be part of the ILWU and the IBU—everybody knows who we are and respects what our union is all about. I wouldn’t do anything differently. Being able to retire and be part of this organization and calling you all friends and comrades is especially fulfilling for me.”
Other speakers at the convention included: Masters, Mates and Pilots President Don Marcus; ILWU Organizing Director Ryan Dowling and Assistant Organizing Director Jon Brier; MEBA President Adam Vokac; IBU Legal Counsel Dmitri Iglitzin; Tongue Point Maritime Training Director Len Tumbarello & students; and Deputy Secretary-Sydney Branch, Maritime Union of Australia, Paul Garrett.
Convention resolutions
The Convention passed several amendments updating the IBU constitution and resolutions supporting workers at Westoil Marine in Southern California; the creation of a subcommittee to review the IBU Constitutions for errors, contradictions, and omissions and make recommendations to be acted on by the next convention; a resolution supporting Region 37 and organizing; and a resolution on IBU pension funding that the “Union will work with the employers and the Trust to determine the best options for reducing, with the long-term goal of eliminating, the Pension Plan’s unfunded liability and restore benefits to the members who lost benefits during the rehabilitation plan, in order to make them whole, to the extent possible.”