WE ARE THE ILWU: Local 29, SAN DIEGO, CA
ILWU Local 29 in San Diego, CA is one of several small port locals that are multi-charter. The local represents both marine clerks and longshore workers.
“In San Diego, we have 25 marine clerks, 110 Class A longshore workers and the remainder of our workforce are Class B registrants,” explained Local 29 President Ray Leyba. “Altogether, we’re a little over 200 registered longshoremen.”
Local 29 Vice President Anthony Soniga explained that San Diego is a niche port handling specialized cargo.
“We handle refrigerated containers, but the majority of our other work is breakbulk and roll on-roll off cargo as well as traditional bulk like fertilizer, bauxite, sugar, and materials like that,” Soniga said. “We also have a big presence in the cruise industry. We’re slowly building up our numbers right now. At one time, we were doing up to 354 calls a year. Right now we’re around 120-130 calls. Hopefully, after COVID, we will get back up to older numbers that we once had.”
Soniga said that the workforce in San Diego is highly skilled and that to succeed, workers need to acquire a range of skills and certifications to be able to handle many different types of cargo. “It takes more than one type of certification to be able to work in this port. You’ve got to be well versed and certified in everything if you’re going to move ahead and contribute to the work that’s down here.”
Ray Leyba, Local 29 President
My father was a longshoreman. He retired and has since passed away. But that’s how I came to work on the docks. I have two brothers, an older and a younger—we all ended up being longshoremen. After I graduated from high school, in June of 1965, I started as a casual. I was already enrolled at City College, but I liked working on the docks so much, I didn’t go back. My dad had a fit.
They had no work at 24th Street at that time. All we did was work at 10th Avenue Marine Terminal, and then at the cruise ship facility. It was good. I would get two or three days a week of work. At that time, the starting wage was $3.10 an hour. It doesn’t seem like a lot of money, but the minimum wage was $1.25 at the time. We would get paid eight hours a day—six straight time, two overtime.
I stayed casual for a long time because San Diego didn’t have a lot of work. I worked until 1988. I just couldn’t make it anymore. I was married, I had three children. And I had to take a job somewhere else. I stayed gone for a long time, maybe 10 years.
I came back in 1998. Things after that changed drastically. The membership numbers were low. I wasn’t even an ID casual; I was an unidentified casual. That was the lowest of the low. They would hire the A-Men, then B-Men, then the ID casuals. If there was any work left, they would hire the unidentified casuals. After a couple of months, I became an ID casual. In less than a year, I was registered as a limited Class B registrant, and a year after that, I got elevated to Class A. I was just in the right place at the right time.
It’s been good for me. My children had the opportunity to go to college. I was able to achieve the American dream and buy a home. It’s impacted my life tremendously. I have a good quality of life. I’m in the latter part of my career now, but I still have a desire to continue to work even though I have put in enough time to get a pension and retire. I’m just not ready to retire.
I love what the ILWU has provided for me and my family. I have the mindset now that I’m just giving back. The way I’m giving back is with the years of experience that I’ve acquired and my knowledge of the contract and all the agreements that govern us. The fire still burns strong, and I continue to serve the union in this capacity even though my plate is full.
I’m my wife’s caregiver. She had to retire as a result of an injury that rendered her blind. My wife is a fourth-generation longshore worker—her great-grandfather and grandfather, her dad, and then her. My mother is going to be 100 years old. she’s still on my father’s benefits. She’s still getting the portion of the pension that she’s entitled to. There’s nothing like it.
I’m currently serving as the President of Local 29. This is my third term serving in that capacity. I’ve also been a Business Agent and Caucus Delegate and on the Executive Board. I’ve been a Grievance Committee Chairperson and served in many capacities, with the mindset of trying to give back because the ILWU has given me so much.
I have a great appreciation for the membership that came before me. We have a retiree meeting here once a month, and I make it a point to pop in. It’s just a blessing. It’s funny how time flies. I can remember when I was just a young man, and now I happen to have the distinction of being the oldest active member of Local 29. And I’m just fortunate I’m able to continue. One day I’ll retire. I don’t know when, but I still appreciate being a longshoreman, and as long as the membership has a need, and I’m able to help, I will be here. And that’s my story.
Anthony Soniga, Local 29 Vice President
I started on the docks in 2002. I was a Child of the Deceased (COD) and I started when I was still in high school at the age of 18. I’m the survivor off of one book, but I’m a third-generation longshoreman. I inherited my father’s book through the COD program, and my father inherited his father’s book. This union has done more than I could have ever imagined—not just for myself, but for generations of my family. At one point, two widows—my mother and my grandmother—were both collecting pensions at the same time. I never imagined that the union would provide them with that level of security. I feel really blessed and grateful.
Today, unions are more important than ever with corporate America trying to undervalue blue-collar workers. It’s the perfect time for unions to bring the voice of workers back and let the employers know that workers are stakeholders in the game and that we bring value to our industries.
I’m the first in my family to become an ILWU officer. My father and grandfather were both crane operators, and they never quite made it to become officers. It was my father’s ambition to become an officer, but he died at a young age. He was only 32.
I was influenced to become an officer shortly after joining. When I got into office, a majority of the membership was getting ready to retire. I was elevated to Class A status within two years so I could get involved and start learning the political side. I was young, educated, and had the interest. People knew that I was going to be able to move the local in a forward direction once they retired. So, the leadership at the time encouraged me to get involved at the age of 20 years old. I started as Assistant Dispatcher. By the time I was 21, I was Chief Dispatcher and Secretary-Treasurer, and stayed in that role for a couple of years. Then I became a marine clerk and shortly after that, I started running for President of the local.
My advice to new members is to learn your job as soon as you possibly can. No one’s going to fight our battles, but ourselves. We need to learn how to fight to the best of our abilities and use the tools and knowledge from our senior members and retirees to prepare for the battles ahead of us.
This job has provided security to three generations of my family. The reason I serve the membership is so I can give something back. The way I can give back to this union is by running for office, protecting its best interests, and helping to ensure the union stays strong for those that come after me.
Brooke Serafin
I started as a casual in 2012 and I was registered in May 2019. I have a lot of family in Local 13, and my dad is a casual at Local 23 in Tacoma, WA. That’s what originally got me down here, but once I started, I just loved it. I love the people. I love what we do. It’s just such an amazing job.
The people and the relationships that I have built with the men and women here is the best part of the job. Moving the cargo is fun of course, but having them here and seeing them every day is what makes it not even seem like work. It’s an amazing place to work.
It’s so important to belong to a union and have the benefits that we do medically and financially.
Driving the forklift ships is always fun and loading the cargo onto the cruise ships is probably one of my favorite jobs.
Shortly after being registered, we got struck with the COVID so I haven’t been able to get involved with the union, but I plan on being involved in the future.
Mike “Buoy” Thomas
I got my casual card in 2006 and was registered in 2016. This is such a great job, and I am proud to be a part of the ILWU. I’m very active in the union. I read a lot and study the contract. Recently, I bought a copy of Robert’s Rules of Order and started reading it. I bought it because when I came to the stop-work meetings, I didn’t understand what was going on. The Chief Dispatcher told me to read it to help me understand the meeting rules and what was going on.
I want to be able to give something back and help the union to remain strong. I used to be a Senior Executive for Macy’s West, and I am proud to be on this side of the table now so I can use what I learned back then to help the union.
Vieno Castillo
I started on the docks 17 years ago. I was on strike with the UFCW Local 135. I’d been with them for 20 years. We were out for about five months and we were struggling to make ends meet.
It was around Christmas time. Local 29 came down and said, “Let’s give you a job.” Normally people would come with pizza, but they got me work and helped me pay the bills. It was amazing.
So that is when I started, and I wasn’t going to leave something good. Life is funny. I went on strike with UFCW and that led me to a better opportunity. It took me 12 years to get registered.
Working in other industries, you might have to do the same thing for 20 years. Here, I can drive a truck. I can be a clerk. I can do all kinds of things. You understand the bigger picture. You know exactly what others on the dock are doing because you did it yesterday or the day before. It’s all about teamwork. I just like the union. This is my thing. I love Local 29. We do a lot. I can throw lines. I can do a skip loader. I can do a heavy lift. I can drive a UTR. And I just love it.
We fight for every jurisdiction. Every time we make a job, we know we fought for it, and we know we’re going to have to work hard work to keep that job.