On Friday, August 5, hundreds of Longshore workers from Longview, Portland and Vancouver hand-delivered copies of the following letter to members of Operating Engineers Local 701 at the OE union hall in Gladstone, Oregon:
Dear Brothers and Sisters of IUOE Local 701, We are the members of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU). In 2006, IUOE Local 701 had a labor dispute at the Port of Portland’s Terminal 4. The ILWU refused to cross Local 701′s picket line. We forced several ships to stay idle to help you get the agreement you needed.
Today, a multinational corporation called EGT Development is trying to use Local 701 to undermine the ILWU, and it is hurting your relationships with other unions. For generations, the ILWU has worked all West Coast docks and grain export terminals. We are constantly honing our safety procedures because grain is very dangerous work. Many of our people have died, including one man who fell to his death in a grain elevator just a couple of years ago in Vancouver.
EGT’s collusion with Local 701 is already hurting your union. Recently, Mark Holliday and Nelda Wilson signed a contract with EGT to take away the work that we do in every other grain export terminal in the Northwest. The officers at Local 701 will try and make you believe that getting jobs at any cost is a good idea. But already the backlash against 701 has been swift, severe and will be long-lasting unless 701 stops colluding with the employer to undermine another union. Just Google “701″ and “EGT” and you will see that other union members feel betrayed and disgusted that Local 701 is dirtying itself by colluding with EGT against another union.
Just last week, the Oregon AFL-CIO Executive Board passed a resolution condemning the actions of Local 701 and called these actions “scab labor.” We know Local 701′s collusion with EGT is a decision that was made above your head, but you don’t need to stand for it. We are here today to ask you, as union brothers and sisters, to refuse to assist in the union-busting efforts of EGT and to honor our jurisdiction….just as we did in 2006 when IUOE 701 had a labor dispute at Terminal 4. Someday, you will need to support of other unions to keep your own union job secure.
It’s not worth it to sell your union’s credibility and support from other unions forever just for a handful of jobs today. Remember, solidarity goes both ways! In 1934, our grandfathers fought and died to form our union. We have supported other unions, including yours, for many decades since that time. An injury to one is an injury to all.
Signed,
Your brothers and sisters of the ILWU