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OAKLAND, Calif.—On June 20, ILWU Local
10 members refused to cross a day-long picket of an Israeli ship at the
Port of Oakland. More than 700 persons, representing a diverse range of
workers, students, and community activists, walked the pickets over
course of the day, which began before dawn, at 5:30 a.m.
Chants of “Free, free Palestine! Don’t
cross the picket line!” filled the air, keeping high the spirits of
more than 500 picketing the entrances to three berths. Just before 9:30
a.m., they cheered an announcement that an emergency arbitrator had
ruled in favor of the union’s claim that the workers on the morning
shift could not work because the picket had made it unsafe to enter the
docks. The workers did not receive disciplinary measures for refusal to
cross the picket line.
A second picket of at least 200 began
at 4:30 p.m. By 6 p.m., just as the Zim Lines ship was docking, word
arrived that SSA Terminals, the port operator, decided against ordering
workers for the evening shift change. Picket organizers and unionists
attributed the decision to the size and strength of the pickets in the
morning. A Chinese ship also arrived that day and met the same fate as
its Israeli counterpart. No goods were unloaded for 24 hours.
A counter-mobilization consisted of two
Zionist supporters waving Israeli and U.S. flags.
The picket was organized by the
Labor/Community Committee in Solidarity with the Palestinian People, an
ad hoc coalition of nearly 100 union members, organizations, and
individuals throughout the Bay Area. It marked the first time in
history that U.S. workers have refused to unload Israeli cargo, and it
sent a powerful message of solidarity to all Palestinians, whose
historic homeland was attacked by Israel in 1948, the start of a
long-term strategy of land theft and ethnic cleansing.
The spark for the port of Oakland
action was the Zionist massacre of nine heroic Freedom Flotilla crew
members—part of an relief effort to deliver humanitarian aid to
Gaza—who were slain by the Israeli military on May 31. Six other crew
members remain missing and are presumed dead.
The beleaguered inhabitants of the Gaza
Strip continue struggling against a three-year Israeli blockade, which
is fully backed by the U.S. government. Similar actions and work
stoppages are taking place elsewhere around the world, including South
Africa, Norway, and Sweden. Solidarity messages urging the ILWU to
refuse to unload Israeli cargo were sent by the Palestinian General
Federation of Trade Unions (PGFTU); UK Palestine Solidarity Committee;
The Palestinian Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions National Committee;
and the Oakland Education Association.
The PGFTU statement cited similar
“historic and massive” dock actions in 1984 by the ILWU, when they
refused to unload South African cargo to boycott their apartheid
regime.
The Cuban Workers Central (CTC) message
read: “The Cuban workers support the just protest of the workers and
community of the San Francisco Bay Area that will take place on June 20
against the cruel and inhumane blockade which the Israeli government
maintains in the Gaza Strip, depriving thousands of women, children,
and men of the most basic rights, especially the right to life.
“Our people have lived for 50 years under
an unjust and abominable blockade by the U.S. government, so we
understand very well how the Palestinian people feel and we will always
be in solidarity with their just cause. Today we send you our most
sincere support. Long live the solidarity of the working class! End the
Blockade of Gaza! Respect and Justice for the people of Palestine!”
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