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ILA Joins with ILWU and Teamsters In
Agreement to Protect Union Jobs At America's Ports
LAS VEGAS, NV. (June 28, 2001) - ILA
President John Bowers told thousands of cheering Teamsters delegates
here at their union's International Convention in Las Vegas that his
union, along with the West Coast Longshore Union, would join with
the Teamsters on a unity organizing campaign to "deliver a powerful
message that anything that moves in and out of our ports will be
done 100 percent union." The leaders of the three unions- Mr. Bowers
of the ILA; James Spinoza, President of the International Longshore
Workers Union (ILWU) and James Hoffa, President of the Teamsters -
addressed Teamster Convention delegates on their joint organizing
campaign to unionize Port Drivers throughout North America and to
protect each other's jurisdiction to ensure that North America's
ports are "wall-to-wall union."
After ILA President Bowers
declared that his union was "ready to forge this new partnership
with the Teamsters and ILWU to achieve a bright and prosperous
future for our respective membership" and the three International
Presidents stood at center stage in the packed convention hall with
raised hands joined together, a resolution supporting Teamster
efforts to organize port drivers was approved by
delegates.
Each union pledged to honor and respect each
other's jurisdiction.
Teamster delegates loudly applauded Mr.
Bowers when he also told them that the ILA joined the Teamsters in
fighting expansion of the North American Free Trade Agreement which
will allow unsafe Mexican trucks and poorly paid and unrepresented
Mexican truckers to operate freely in the U.S., in direct
competition with Teamsters.
"The ILA will not handle these
unsafe trucks at any piers we work," Mr. Bowers declared to the
supportive audience.
The ILA leader also thanked the
Teamsters for their ongoing support of the ILA's Charleston Five. He
thanked Teamsters Port Director George Cashman for attending and
speaking at the rally in support of the Charleston Five which was
held on June 9 in Columbia, South Carolina.
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The International Longshoremen's
Association is a member of the
AFL-CIO
International
Longshoremen's Assoc., AFL-CIO, CLC
17 Battery Place, Suite 930
New York, NY 10004
(212)-425-1200
FAX:
212-425-2928
Send any comments to: jmcnamara@ilaunion.org
©2003
International Longshoremen's Association. All rights
reserved.
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