The strikingly tall, lanky figure of Ralph Rooker, who was a regular fixture at Local 10’s dispatch hall and Longshore Caucus meetings for more than five decades, passed on December 19, 2015 in San Francisco, the city where he was born in 1940.
Rooker came to longshoring in 1969 after serving two tours in Vietnam as a “Sea-Bee,” the Navy construction corps. During his first several years on the docks, Rooker and others endured sporadic longshore work under circumstances that he carefully documented each day. His detailed notes about work opportunities during those years provided invaluable evidence that helped many union members win back pension credit for work performed during the early 1970’s in San Francisco, Stockton, Port Hueneme and Seattle.
“Ralph was a dispatcher at Local 10 when I was registered as a B-man back in the 1980’s,” said John Castanho, who now serves as the Coast Benefits Specialist. “Ralph always looked after us younger members, offering advice about the union and the industry.
We developed a friendship that lasted almost 30 years. One of the things I am most proud of is the resolution that Ralph and I worked on in February of 2008 that was adopted by the Caucus to have the Longshore Division provide financial support to the Pacific Coast Pensioners Association to hold their annual Conventions.”
Rooker’s co-workers at Local 10 chose him to serve as their Dispatcher for many terms, and in 1981 they elected him Chief Dispatcher. Castanho says Rooker had a reputation for being honest, hard-nosed and unafraid to speak his mind – especially when PMA representative made mistakes.
One way that Rooker truly distinguished himself was by mentoring new workers – especially women – and preparing them to take leadership roles in the union. He rarely missed union meetings and was a daily fixture in the dispatch hall where he counseled young members how to contribute their skills in a democratic, rank-and-file= union.
Local 10’s Vanetta Hamlin remembers Ralph’s support and encouragement that helped her become the first woman to be elected Chief Dispatcher.
“Ralph was incredibly supportive of me and others – which made him so special to many of us who were helped as we came up through the ranks. He was a man of integrity and a man of his word.”
A regular at Bay Area Pensioners Club meetings, Rooker was admired by fellow retirees for his willingness to help with all the little details that keep a union alive, such as making reminder calls before a meeting. “Ralph was like cement that helped us stick together – he would find a need and fill it,” said
Bay Area Pensioners President George Cobbs. “You could count on him to volunteer for a job and get it done – but he also saw the bigger picture and tackled projects that took years of persistence to finish. He helped a lot of people that way.”
Rooker’s life and union contributions were honored at a memorial held on February 13 at the Bay Area Longshoremen’s Memorial Hall. Over one hundred union sisters and brothers came to pay their respects and praise Rooker’s devotion to the union and mentorship of young union members.
“Ralph called me with an idea just the night before he died,” said Cobbs at the memorial. “With his passing, we’ve lost a real fighter.”