22 replies to this topic

[tpacter]

The Occupy Movement is planning on shutting down West Coast ports on Monday. Officially, the ILWU and the IBT are not supporting the action even though they have actively supported the Occupy Movement in the past. Contracts don't allow members to honor non-sanctioned picket lines unless there is a safety issue. On the other hand, a massive shutdown would be a shot in the arm for the occupiers.

Any thoughts? Should the ILWU and the IBT support the shutdown? If not, should members support it individually by taking a day off to demonstrate? Or, should members cross the picket line (if possible)? Just wondering?

[unionbustersandtrollsout]

Yes, I have thoughts...still sorting them out. First of all, thank you for this post. I believe this is what we should be talking about (either on this forum, in our break rooms or at the hall).

Leadership is of utmost importance right now.

Clear communication.

Self-criticism.

I am a union member so if I have frustrations I can go to the hall. Hundreds of us meet there and it's a great feeling to be part of an organization that is designed to protect my family and each other. Most Americans sit in their living room and have no where to take their frustrations. OWS is a place where everybody can go. We need a movement like this.

It would be great to get the churches on board, the immigrant community, black counsels, unions.... all within OWS.

If we do it, we gotta do it in concert. Not spontaneously. It has to be organized. It might take more time then the people of OWS want it to...they want to keep the momentum going...but we shouldn't be rash. We need strong, democratic leadership...not hot shots, not saviors. Experienced. Tested. Courageous. Trusted.

I know the ILWU has a militant history. I don't doubt them. They know what they are doing. They've done it before.

We can rely on past victories and strategies. New ones will need to be invented (we now have technology, for instance). The worse thing we can do is nothing.

[tpacter]

Amen!!!

[unionbustersandtrollsout]

This utube video just posted at local120. Speaker is Boots Riley, singer for the Coup and Street Sweeper Social Club. Posted their music on this forum many times. I've seen Boots along with Tom Morello play here in Minneapolis at the Fine Line. Boots is an organizer for Occupy Oakland.

The good news: We've got competent leadership all around. No doubt, occupy are friends of ours

[teamstersTshirtman]

Shut it down. Those boats are filled with crap on its way to WalMart anyhow. If the ILWU wants it shut down it will be shut down, there's a million different ways they can do it - all in the name of safety, of course.

[Dedicated251]

I agree. Shut it all down.

Sent from my Desire HD using TeamsterNet Mobile

[stonebone]

Consider what's transpired in Egypt, Yemen, Lybia & now Syria when the people said "enough". I wonder if the Occupy movement in our cities really has any correlation to the revolutions in the Middle East/N. Africa? The difference between what's going on here & there is casualties. I know Occupiers have been arrested & wounded by police, but if Occupy is to be the catylist for socio/economic change, it's not going to happen when the police come to "clear the protesters to clean the park" and they leave. Teamster's Union history is replete with the commitment of not only hard sacificial work & negotiation, but also bloody strikes & death. What price are American Occupiers & supporters ultimately willing to pay?

[unionbustersandtrollsout]

Once we were weak but now we stand tall.
Millions of citizens, heeding the call.
Demanding our freedom; the birthright of all.
The Arab Spring turns to The American Fall.

We're the 99 percent, and we'll never forgive.
We'll never forget how you made us live
Expect us at your door, prepare to defend!
The reign of the moneyed and privileged now ends.

Once we were few; now we grow by the hour.
The lamb sheds its mask - the emperor cowers.
The wolf bares her teeth, her hunger devours
the gleaming skyscrapers; the ivory towers.

We're the 99 percent and we'll never forgive
We'll never forget how you made us live
Expect us at your door; prepared to defend!
The world of the moneyed and privileged now ends.

There's no "job creators", a "trickle-down" bust.
And time's running out for your greed and your lust.
You've earned no respect and you've squandered our trust.
From this day forward you must expect us!

We're the 99 percent and we'll never forgive
We'll never forget how you made us live
Expect us at your door, prepare to defend!
The reign of the moneyed and privileged now ends.

Bill Allyn
9/28/2011

[teamstersTshirtman]

Very cool

[unionbustersandtrollsout]

Scab grain will be escorted by the U.S. Coast Guard because they will face 1000's of protesters. It is the 1st military intervention in a labor dispute in 40 years.

Will our military side with Wall Street or the American People?

[tpacter]

Unfortunately, they will side with Wall Street.

[Boxsmasher]

Quote

http://dailycaller.c...bers-occupiers/

In addition to the attempts to block the train, at least one Longshoremen protester verbally attacked local news media for covering their protests.
“Hey, get your ******* camera out of here, that’s none of your ******* business, you cock bite,” the union member said to a local reporter while grabbing his camera. “Unless you want [to be arrested for] trespassing, get the **** out of here now. Get out of here now! Don’t **** with me, partner!”

If the union is protesting these grain shipments, why are the members verbally attacking the news media? The point of a protest is to bring attention to a company's wrongdoing. The actions of these longshoremen are that of thugs and criminals, not of union members trying to bring about change.

The extremists in the labor unions are destroying labor unions and the workers rights to negotiate better contracts. I'm sure there will be several posters reply to this and accuse me of being a scab and a union buster, but those are radicals in our union who only want to destroy what we have. They only care about themselves and would throw any fellow union member under the bus for their own personal gain.[/left]

[unionbustersandtrollsout]

how's your mental health today, box smasher? Let us not forget about your schizophrenic breakdown on T-net a while back

you are a pawn and easily played

a sad, simple-minded individual

you think anybody believes that you care about union contracts?

Boxsmasher - you are not a union member. You're a sheep spouting tea bag brainwashing on T-net.

What a joke you are, box smasher. Use our social safety net (that unions fought and bled for) and go get your meds.

[unionbustersandtrollsout]

Hope you all had a great MLK day with your family! I wonder if this picture was considered radical back in the day?

[Boxsmasher]

That's okay if you're not capable of making and argument against me. The 60-70% of conservative union members know the difference between what unions are supposed to be and what we have now. We're not out there vandalizing property, beating people up, and blaming the Jews for all they're problems like the occupy wall street nazis and the seiu.

[unionbustersandtrollsout]

Do you use your own head to smash those boxes? If you formed a union, they'd help you with safety standards and you could get help for your mental problems. Just go on telling yourself these lies about OWS and SEIU because:

[RCorrie]

What kind of moron would support the Occupy movement?

[unionbustersandtrollsout]

People like Martha Stewart are the reason this country is in decline. Too bad she's just a token and the courts don't systematically jail the real criminals.

[tpacter]

What the hell happened to this thread?

[unionbustersandtrollsout]

sorry about that, tpacter