International Longshoremen's Association, AFL-CIO 52nd Quadrennial Convention |
Wednesday, July 25, 2007
Friends
The busy general session was book ended by two of the ILA's longest and fondest friends, The Honorable Raymond Flynn and The Honorable Helen Delich Bentley.
Ambassador Flynn, former U.S. Ambassador to the Vatican and Mayor of Boston, is the son of an ILA member and a great supporter of the union. In recognition of his commitment to the ILA, the Executive Council made him an honorary lifetime member, noting that when Ambassador Flynn was younger, he was too poor to maintain his father's union card.
A five term member of the U.S. House of Representatives and a former Chair of the Federal Maritime Commission, Mrs. Bentley is currently a consultant to the Port of Baltimore. Calling herself the ILA's "token Republican," she noted how pleased she is to have had the opportunity to work with ILA President John Bowers.
View from 17 Battery
From the ILA's Executive Council, Secretary-Treasurer Robert E. Gleason and Executive Vice President Richard P. Hughes both briefly addressed delegates. After thanking President Bowers for his friendship and support, Mr. Hughes recalled the 1913 Clayton Act, which stated that the labor of a human being is not a commodity or article of commerce. He reiterated that ILA members must not simply be a plus or minus sign and our employers must respect ILA members' dignity.
"When we make agreements, we have to know how it affects workers on frontlines," he said, speaking of wages, pensions, benefits, safety and most importantly, how members are positioned when their contract expires.
Mr. Gleason echoed earlier calls for phasing out tiered wages and eliminating the container royalty cap. He also addressed the issue of pensions, which are not administered nationally.
"With our benefits and salaries, we lead a good life," he said, but suggested that in order to protect ILA retirees' standard of living the union should explore a supplemental annuity program. "Maybe container money can be put into this."
Mr. Gleason also touched on the ever-present issue of technology, cautioning delegates, "you're not going to stop technology; you have to participate in it."
ILA Safety Director and newly-elected Atlantic Coast District Secretary-Treasurer Dennis Daggett spoke at some length about the challenges of maintaining occupational health and safety on ILA jobsites. Citing numerous rules, regulations and policies that must be upheld in order to create a safe working environment for ILA members, Mr. Daggett conveyed the complexity of the job.
He also touched on the specific challenges of balancing port security with worker safety in regard to radiation exposure from container screening, noting that while screening is obviously important, it cannot be done at the expense of ILA members' health.
"Occupational safety and health is everybody's business," he said, concluding that the ILA's strongest advantage is its ability to look out for one another.
Answering Important Questions
At the 2004 Quadrennial Convention in San Juan, Puerto Rico, President Bowers foretold of increased scrutiny of the ILA and its leadership by the federal government and announced plans to establish both an ethical code of conduct and mechanisms to encourage members to report any misconduct they witness.
With these plans fully executed, the ILA now has an official Code of Ethics, a whistleblower hotline and an active Ethical Practice Counsel, Judge Milton Mollen, to advise on all relevant matters.
Judge Mollen explained his role with the ILA and detailed the main cases on which he has made recommendations since coming on board in April 2004. While not legally binding, the ILA Executive Council generally adopts Judge Mollen's recommendations.
"The ILA will not tolerate criminal connections," he said.
To that end, he recommended distributing the ILA's list of "barred individuals" with whom ILA members should not interact.
Despite these concerted efforts to demonstrate the ILA leadership's commitment to running a fair and ethical union, the Federal government launched a civil RICO suit two years ago. The ILA Executive Council asked their attorney, Howard Goldstein, to address delegates and provide a summary of the lawsuit.
Mr. Goldstein described the allegations against several ILA leaders and walked delegates through the legal process step-by-step. His very thorough and detailed presentation provided delegates and members with a clear, concise and accurate understanding of where the lawsuit currently stands, actions that have been taken to date, and possible end results.
It was clear from the delegates' response to Mr. Goldstein's presentation that they appreciated this measure of transparency on this most critical of topics.
"The issue is whether this union will be run by the people in this room or by government appointees who don't know the difference between a longshoreman and a stevedore…and don't care!" said Mr. Goldstein, noting what's at stake.
Mr. Goldstein indicated that the government is not interested in settling the RICO suit, but rather is looking for surrender.
When asked if they were willing to surrender, delegates responded with a loud and resounding "NO".
Strong Allies
A number of guest speakers representing the ILA's strongest and most important allies spoke at the convention, focusing on common concerns, many of which fall in the political category.
AFL-CIO Political Director Karen Ackerman's "Labor 2008: Opportunity or Peril" presentation reinforced the importance of electing men and women who will work for working America.
According to Ms. Ackerman, the 2006 mid-term elections that ushered in a Democrat-controlled Congress marked a critical realignment in the United States and a tremendous opportunity to build a "permanent progressive majority."
"The Democrats would not have won without the union vote," she said. There are 13.6 million union votes: "It matters what we do!"
"We cannot allow ourselves to be overconfident…we can't take anything for granted," she said, reminding delegates that 2008 is an opportunity to set the direction for decades to come.
Ms. Ackerman detailed the AFL-CIO 10-Point Plan for building workplace strength, noting that 75% of union members will vote for a union-endorsed candidate if they get that information at the workplace.
Following the 10-Point Plan, union members will hear from their union 25 times or more during an election by phone, through leaflets, from their presidents and business agents, via union publications, neighborhood canvassing, and other outreach strategies.
"We don't do this work to elect Democrats," she reminded delegates. "We do this to elect people who will stand with workers…and create and environment where working and middle class families survive."
Also representing the AFL-CIO as an Assistant to President John Sweeny on Civil, Human and Women's Rights, Richard Womack echoed Ms. Ackerman's sentiment that labor has to elect people that will work for working families.
"We have stood up as a movement," he said. "Let this convention be our rally cry!"
Drilling down from larger political issues, ILA Legislative Consultant and 28-year veteran of the AFL-CIO, Robert McGlotten spoke to delegates about the specific political battles ILA members face, in particular, port security.
Pointing to the absurdity of requiring clearance for ILA members who have been working in ports for decades, McGlotten reminded delegates that it's "up to [them]" to tell the government who they are and what they want.
"We have to become more politically involved," said Mr. McGlotten.
"The ILA is the first line of defense for this country and nobody should forget it," he said. "We need to say it much more clearly."
Saying it clearly for the ILA's West Coast brothers and sisters was William E. Adams, International Secretary-Treasurer for the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU).
Thanking President Bowers for his years of service, Mr. Adams noted that the ILWU also had a recent change in leadership and that he hopes the two unions can build ties as they move into the future.
Speaking about issues of common concern to the ILA and ILWU, Mr. Adams touched on technology, hiring halls, the environment, internationalism, education and health care.
"Why work hard to die because of all the fumes?" he asked, noting that the ILWU has become increasingly proactive in understanding how pollutants impact its members' health and advocating for cleaner ports.
Encouraging delegates to think 20-30 years into the future and get out in front of technology, Mr. Adams emphasized that the ILA and ILWU have to train new workers to be qualified to fill the new types of jobs created by technology.
"Europe is the past, the United States is the present, Asia is the future," he said.
Following Mr. Adams' remarks, President Bowers noted that he still would like to see a common expiration date on contracts for both the ILA and ILWU. The current ILA Master Contract is due to expire at the end of September 2010; the ILWU will begin early negotiations for their contract next March.
An Industry Perspective
Representing the ILA's partners in the shipping industry were New York Shipping Association (NYSA) President Frank McDonough; United States Maritime Alliance (USMX) Chairman and CEO James A. Capo and Maersk Senior Vice President for Labor Relations Anthony Scioscia. Each thanked President Bowers for his years of service.
Mr. Capo spoke predominantly about how USMX and the ILA work together to the benefit of both Alliance member companies and ILA members. Specifically, he addressed the health of the jointly-administered MILA health plan and increased contributions to local welfare funds (more than $124.4 million). He also detailed how container royalty funds were allocated last year, with $116.5 million distributed to qualified employees, $31.6 million returned to local funds, $15.8 returned to MILA, and $18.4 returned to carriers.
In terms of managing change at the ports, such as technology aimed at handling congestions, Mr. Capo said that the ILA and USMX must continue to work together.
The Master Contract gives USMX the right to implement technology, but, he acknowledged, it also gives the ILA the right to negotiate over its impact.
Maersk's Anthony Scioscia began his remarks by calling President Bower one of the all time great union leaders in this country.
He then proceeded to provide a top-level assessment of the shipping industry, which is growing rapidly despite a small downturn in 2007.
According to Mr. Scioscia, container volumes at ports worldwide were up by approximately 53% (from 245 million TEU to 376 million TEU) between 2001-2006. Capacity also has grown significantly, increasing from 7,000 vessels with a capacity of 6.5 million TEU in 2001 to 8,500 vessels with a capacity of 12 million TEU in 2007.
Growth in container volume has brought corresponding terminal growth. Mr. Scioscia gave delegates an overview of Maersk terminal development in Mobile, AL; Portsmouth, VA; Wilmington, NC; Jacksonville, FL; and Jasper County, SC/GA. Terminal growth, he said, will provide more ILA jobs.
"At a universal level, the ILA's cooperation is second to none," he said, remarking on how ILA members do a phenomenal job, take pride in their company and take pride in their job.
The final management speaker, NYSA's Frank McDonough also commented on growth in the shipping industry, noting that in his ports alone, the ILA handled twice as much cargo as it did ten years ago and that ILA man hours will soon double from 1997.
"The key to continued success is our reputation as ports that can and will handle that cargo with ever increasing reliability, productivity and safety," he said. "The key to that reputation is our relationship."
Paul F. Richardson, a consultant to the ILA, spoke to delegates about prospects for developing a domestic coastal service - or, short sea shipping - to handle the movement of domestic freight via water instead of on trucks or rails. Mr. Richardson made a convincing case for the importance of developing short sea shipping systems, highlighting the fact that transporting domestic cargo by water costs ten times less than shipping that same cargo by truck, and six times less than shipping it by rail.
Mr. Richardson detailed the challenges to developing a domestic coastal service, but noted that the government and other parties have already acknowledged the need to develop waterborne domestic coastal service. Increasing congestion in ports along the East Coast will also continue as a compelling factor.
After a long day, Convention guests and delegates attended a gala banquet in the Diplomat ballroom.