In keeping with the theme of “international solidarity” the convention voted to send a delegation to demonstrate during the World Trade Organization meeting on Nov. 30, 1999 in Seattle, Wash. Delegates from both the U.S. and Canada pension clubs will be encouraged to attend to impress upon the WTO the need for safeguards against exploitation of workers when new trade agreements are written

Taz Bull, former Secretary General of the Maritime Union of Australia, was an invited guest speaker. He thanked the ILWU for its support in the struggles with the shipowners and the Australian government. He outlined how the shipowners and the newly elected conservative government have conspired to destroy the union. But with a show of solidarity among labor unions in Australia and other unions throughout the world the MUA came out victorious. Bull had just visited Cuba and was asked by the Cuban Seafarers and Waterfront Union to extend an invitation to the PCPA to send delegates to their pensioners’ convention in November.

Delegates passed a motion to whole-heartedly endorse the speech made by Cleophas Williams at the July Longshore Contract Caucus and printed in The Dispatcher and to accept it as the official statement of the PCPA. In further action it was moved to extend special thanks to members of the Coast Negotiating Committee for a job well done.

The Convention unanimously passed resolutions opposing the concept of privatization of Social Security, supporting the establishment of an International Dockworkers Commit-tee, supporting the enactment of laws setting safety standards for Mexican truckers on U.S. highways equal to those placed on U.S. truckers and supporting a national single payer health insurance program.

Officers elected for the next year are: President, Joe Lucas; 1st Vice President, Lou Loveridge; 2nd Vice President, John Ehly; Secretary-Treasurer, Arne Auvinen.

Executive Board members elected are: Seattle, Paul McCabe; Alternate, Bill Samples; Tacoma and Washington small ports, Phil Lelli; Alternate, John Farley; Columbia River, Paul Everdell; Alternate, Bill Bradshaw; Portland, Larry Clark; Alternate, Lois Stranahan; Southwest Oregon, Bob Harvey; Alternate, Elie Harvey; San Francisco, Cleophas Williams; Alternate, Bill Ward; Los Angeles Harbor Area, Al Perisho; Alternate, George Kuvakas; Southern California small ports, Bobbie Bolata.

HBI representatives are: Wash-ington/Puget Sound, Theodore L. Hanson; Oregon/Columbia River, Ken Swicker; Northern California, Joe Johnson; Southern California, Ray Pushe.

Bruce Krieger was elected as Coast Welfare Representative and Art Almeida is the PCPA Representative on the Coast Education Committee.

The British Columbia ILWU locals and pensioners hosted the convention and took delegates out on a boat tour of the harbor.

The PCPA will hold its next convention in San Francisco, Calif. Sept. 11, 12 and 13, 2000 at the Cathedral Hill Hotel.