Barbara Lewis stepped down as Treasurer of the PCPA. She was honored at the conference for her dedicated service and is seen here receiving flowers from George Cobb.
The Pacific Coast Pensioners Association (PCPA), representing ILWU retirees and their spouses, held its annual convention this year in San Francisco, from September12-15.
Local 10 retiree, and San Francisco Pensioners Club President, George Cobbs, hosted the event. Delegates enjoyed visiting with members of their union family from every ILWU state in the US, as well as British Columbia, Canada, and then got down to work.
This year’s convention met at a very opportune moment—an election year in which an elevated level of political turmoil is being driven by a well-funded radical reactionary ideology determined to tear down government at every level.
ILWU leadership was well represented at the event. International Vice President Ray Familathe, International Secretary Treasurer Willie Adams, Coast Committeeman Ray Ortiz, Jr. and International President Bob McEllrath all addressed the delegates. President McEllrath spoke to the urgency of our need to be aware of the continued attempts being made to undermine or change our current Social Security system. Future retirees, our children and grandchildren, would be hardest hit by those changes.
“At this conference we are talking about the pension plan, the welfare plan, Social Security, and Medicare. They all have two things in common. [The pensioners] are involved in them and the politicians have all got their hands on them,” McEllrath said. “Unfortunately, we’ve got politicians trying to put their hands in the cookie jar. Instead of making them stronger and adding to them, they are taking from them. Now they are trying to push back the retirement age. Now we don’t have a national health insurance, now they are going to tax the health care plans that we’ve fought for, that we went on strike for, and that just galls me. Now the government is saying that we’ve done such a great job in winning health care benefits, they are going to tax us. That’s wrong.” McEllrath also said the
ILWU will be sending a delegation to Washington, including six pensioners, after the November elections to lobby on these important issues.
If we want to hang on to the benefits we have, assure benefits for future generations, and maintain a voice in our government’s actions, we are going to have to pitch in and work hard with legislators who have been there for us. We must all actively support the rights of workers to have jobs with fair pay and adequate benefits. We need to work harder than ever to get the right people elected. Also we must make sure that legislators—now and in the future—are aware that we’re watching and listening and that we have a big voice and the power to act.
– Verna Porter, Columbia River Pensioners