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unions and labor relations
unions and labor relations
unions and labor relations
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The Solidarity of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union
2804 Words6 Pages
Recommended: unions and labor relations
Solidarity is an important linchpin in any type of organization. In a labor union, it is even more so, it is the foundation of the organization. A limited amount of labor unions today have a level of unity that gives them the power to wield when it comes to negotiating contracts. Within the United States ports system, the success through labor disputes, bargaining, organization, and sense of community shows that more unions should follow the example set by the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) when it pertains to union solidarity. The solidarity of the ILWU can be seen through labor disputes, but particularly the strike that formed the union in 1934. The solidarity was a main point of the strike in 1934 due to the fact that the ILWU wanted to negotiate the contract as one whole group. Harry Bridges, the leader of the ILWU for many years, confirms in the book of oral history of the ILWU Solidarity Stories by Harvey Schwartz that “We’d deal only as a district” (20). The ability of having all the ports on the west coast negotiate as one would remove the competition between the different ports and the employer could no longer fear the workers into taking an unfair contract by pining one port against another. The workers also demonstrated solidarity when striking in San Francisco, as remembered by Harry Bridges: “We’d get out there with our flag, our union banner, and I think we had a couple of drums to march along. Then the cops would move in and beat the [explicit] out of us” (21). The men were willing to risk bodily harm to be able to unionize in a union that they could control and not run by the shipping companies. The unity of the union in the 1930’s included minorities in a time when it was unheard of. As wr... ... middle of paper ... ...demic Search Premier. Web. 11 April. 2014. Farris II, M. Theodore. "Are You Prepared For A Devastating Port Strike In 2008?." Transportation Journal 47.1 (2008): 43-53. Academic Search Premier. Web. 12 Apr. 2014. International Longshore and Warehouse Union. “Ten Guiding Principles of the ILWU”. International Longshore and Warehouse Union. ILWU. N. d. Web. 14 Apr. 2014. Levi, Margaret, et al. "Union Democracy Reexamined." Politics & Society 37.2 (2009): 203-228. Academic Search Premier. Web. 14 Apr. 2014. Olney, Peter. "On the Waterfront: Analysis of ILWU Lockout." New Labor Forum 12.2 (2003). N. pag. Web. 14 Apr. 2014. Sonis, Deborah J. "National Recovery Administration." e-WV: The West Virginia Encyclopedia. 18 November 2013. Web. 15 Apr. 2014. Schwartz, Harvey. Solidarity Stories: An Oral History of the ILWU. Seattle: University of Washington, 2009. Print.