The ILWU International Executive Board, meeting in Canada Aug. 19 and 20, unanimously decided to commit its energies and resources to turn out the union’s members to join the mass demonstration in Seattle against the World Trade Organization.

The WTO is an institution of most nations’ trade ministers and multi-national corporate heads writing and enforcing new rules of global trade. Their “free trade” regulations have had the effect of increasing corporate profits at the expense of labor and environmental standards. At its next meeting Nov. 29-Dec. 1 the WTO plans to further its control of the planet’s economy. Unions, environmentalists and fair trade activists are organizing a mass protest in Seattle during the meeting and the board decided to join the movement and mobilize against the WTO (see SOP below).

In preparation for the AFL-CIO Convention in Los Angeles this October the board passed a resolution supporting the AFL-CIO’s “New Alliance” concept, which it describes as “a bold initiative to unify the labor movement at the state and local level and to create stronger, more effective state federations and central labor councils.” The idea is to get all national and international unions to obligate all their locals to affiliate with their state federations of labor and central labor councils. The board’s resolution adds the proviso that the Drafting Committees, which are charged with organizing the New Alliance on a state basis, make allowance for unions like the ILWU that have autonomous, rank-and-file locals, to participate with no unfunded liability to the International, locals or district councils.

The board discussed other issues coming before the AFL-CIO Conven-tion, in particular voluntary expedited procedures for implementing Articles XX and XXI of the AFL-CIO Constitution. Article XX is used to settle internal disputes between unions over claims of raiding and Article XXI is the mechanism that AFL-CIO affiliates use to resolve situations where there is competition in organizing campaigns.

The board supported a proposal from Inter-national President Brian McWilliams to bring an area standards resolution to the upcoming AFL-CIO Convention. Establishing a system of occupational wage and benefit standards is key to stopping rival unions from undercutting area contract standards for the sole purpose of pirating jurisdiction in unorganized sections of organized industries and ultimately forcing a “race to the bottom” in wage and benefit packages.

The board’s Election Procedures Subcommittee, established to clarify regulations governing International elections, submitted its report. Its suggestions mostly cover member eligibility to vote and procedural timelines. The board accepted the subcommittee’s proposals pending review by the union’s lawyers.

Statement of Policy on the World Trade Organization

The World Trade Organization (WTO) is an international organization established to regulate and facilitate trade among nations. It is in the process of developing trade agreements, like the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), that would pave the way for further corporate globalization and increased multi-national profits all at the expense of labor, the environment, and the world’s general population. The agreements adopted by the WTO can override the sovereignty of national and local laws developed by democratically elected governments. The WTO will next meet in Seattle from November 29 through December 3, 1999 to further develop its international corporate trade policies.

The ILWU opposes any expansion of the powers and authority of the WTO and calls for a thorough evaluation of the impact of its activities to date. It is important that the WTO hear loud and clear from workers, environmentalists and others that we will not sit idly by and allow the WTO and its backers to run roughshod over the conditions and protections that we have developed over many years of struggle. Therefore, we endorse the demonstration against the WTO on November 30th and resolve to mobilize our membership to join the protest.

All locals and divisions of the ILWU are strongly encouraged to endorse the Seattle demonstration and participate in it to the greatest extent possible. Each local and division should select an individual to coordinate its activities with the International Union.

The International Union shall coordinate the activities of its affiliates in addition to working with other unions, environmental groups and community organizations to participate in the WTO demonstration in Seattle and other cities. Finally, the ILWU concurs with the “Statement for members of International Civil Society Opposing a Millennium Round or a new Round of Comprehensive Trade Negotiations,” which has been supported by 800 other trade unions and organizations from around the world.

Statement of Policy on Area Standards

A few unions seek to increase their membership by negotiating substandard agreements with unscrupulous employers. These substandard agreements then put downward pressure on the terms and conditions of other union agreements in the same industry as other employers seek concessions equal to the substandard agreements.

The ILWU has encountered these substandard agreements while developing organizing campaigns. Such agreements have acted as a bar to legitimate organizing drives. Often the workers who are covered by such substandard agreements have never seen a union official, nor ever participated in formulating contract demands. In many cases, these workers are unaware that they are even “represented” by a union.

No division of the ILWU has been left untouched by the devastating effects of these attacks. We cannot wait any longer while some unprincipled union attempts to make further inroads into our jurisdiction and other unions.

Therefore, the ILWU will promote revisions to the AFL-CIO Constitution that would provide protection for area standards and legitimate organizing campaigns, while at the same time removing protection from those unscrupulous unions who negotiate substandard agreements simply to increase their membership base.