DearBrothers and Sisters of the ILWU,

Onbehalf of myself and my congressional campaign, and in memory of my son Casey,I want to thank you for the principled and dignified action that you are takingon May 1.

Oakland’s Grand Lake Theater marquee proclaims solidarity with the International Longshore Workers Union’s May Day anti-war port shutdown that aims to close all West Coast ports and is drawing support from railroad workers, students at San Francisco State and the University of Washington and the port workers of Iraq, who also plan a port shutdown, and the entire Iraqi labor movement.

TheDemocratic Party, under the leadership of Nancy Pelosi, continues a policy offull cooperation with and financial support for the Bush administration’s war.While many Democrats will utter words that are critical of the highly unpopularwar, their party simply will not use its political power to take any action tostop the carnage.

TheILWU has shown that it is an independent workers’ union, morally superior tothe Democratic Party in every respect. Once again, the longshoremen of the WestCoast are demonstrating that it is possible to oppose the war-mongeringcorporate politicians and prevent them from dividing and conquering themovements of the workers and peoples. You longshoremen have kept this powerfuland noble tradition alive on their waterfront since the 1930s.

Iwant you to know that there is a congressional candidate in the Bay Area whosupports you and your heroism. I thank you for refusing to load scrap iron forthe Japanese invasion of China in the ‘30s. I thank you for your refusal toload bombs for the fascist dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet in 1978. I thankyou for your support of the Charleston Five, the Liverpool Dockers, thelongshoremen of Australia, of Chile and all the other workers of the world withwhom you stand in solidarity.

Ithank you for your heroic stop-work actions in defense of Mumia Abu-Jamal, theBlack labor journalist falsely accused of killing a police officer. I thank youfor honoring the U.S. Labor Against the War picket line against SSA on thedocks of Oakland in both 2003 and 2007.

Iam offended by the arrogance, the chauvinism, and the sneering spitefulnessthat has been shown towards you by the Pacific Maritime Association and itsmember companies. If these employers had any sense of honor, they would beproud to cooperate with you on May 1 and would eagerly join in your struggle tooppose this horrific war. My sympathy goes out to any workers who mustnegotiate the terms of their work against such cold and heartless warprofiteers as the ones you bravely face in every contract negotiation. Theirwillful intransigence in the face of your principles should be enough toconvince every honest elected official that your employers are bitter opponentsof the people and threats to the public good.

Iwill stand with you on May 1 in San Francisco and Oakland, and I encouragepeople everywhere to take up your call to resist the war. I will be with you onthe picket line. I pledge to do whatever I can to aid and assist you in yournoble effort, both on May 1 and in the days and weeks that follow.

Aninjury to one is an injury to all, and an injury to longshoremen is an injuryto me.

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