In Support of the Members of the International Long Shore and Warehouse Union

Ms. RICHARDSON. Madam Speaker, I rise today to support the members of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union, who exercised their first amendment right to voice opposition to the ongoing war in Iraq by stopping work at 29 West Coast ports on Thursday, May 1, 2008. Although the union leadership was not involved in this action, a Longshore Caucus resolution called on all locals to honor May 1 by taking action to end the war and bring troops home safely from Iraq.

I add my voice to those of the workers who attended rallies along the coast, demanding that the American presence in Iraq could come to an end. It is my understanding that the ILWU employers, the Pacific Maritime Association, were able to easily schedule changes with little or no disruption and therefore, these voluntary actions did not pose any hardship to the industry. Yet, the action sent a strong and important message to Washington, DC, indicating the ILWU members' opposition to the war.

The ILWU has a long history of activism in the pursuit of social and international justice, including the refusal to load vessels bound for apartheid-era South Africa and El Salvador in the midst of a civil war. On May 1, ILWU members used their voices at work to express their frustration--shared by the overwhelming majority of Americans--that politicians have failed to bring troops home.

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