out·post, \ˈaut-ˌpōst\, noun: an outlying or frontier settlement
ob·serv·er, \əb-ˈzər-vər\, noun: a representative sent to observe but not participate in an activity
Friday, October 23, 2009
By John A. Ostenburg
A dockworkers strike in
Although officials of the cruise line – including both the captain and his on-ship staff and executives at the line’s
As a union official who was on board the ms Zuiderdam, I found myself siding with the striking workers. After all, they have been engaged in a major labor dispute for quite some time now as the government of
Of course, it wasn’t just the cruise ship that was prevented from docking. The striking workers also made sure that cargo vessels were allowed neither to be loaded with materials to be shipped out or to be unloaded with items that were coming into the country. Dockworkers themselves traditionally perform the work of removing items from cargo ships. Colleagues who secure the ship’s anchoring ropes to the pier refused to cross the picket line to dock the Holland America vessel.
Strikes are one of the few ways that workers have to actually flex their muscles. By not allowing ships to dock, the strikers were sending a strong message to their bosses: “If you want the commerce that comes from these ships visiting our harbors, you need to provide for the security of your employees who make those stops possible.” It’s the same message that strikers give to management when other labor disputes reach the highpoint of a work stoppage: “If we’re going to do the work, you must honor our demands.”
I can’t say, however, that many of my fellow passengers on the 10-day cruise from
I was particularly taken by the outrage expressed by one older gentleman who was wearing a tee-shirt adorned with the image of a cross and some words of scripture. He told everyone within hearing distance in the elevator we all were riding that the workers were selfish and should give more consideration to all the people they were inconveniencing by their work stoppage.
Well, excuse me, Mr. Christian, but when I was a Catholic seminarian some years ago, I remember reading a passage from the Holy Bible that said the worker deserves his wage. Does your Bible say something different?
In many regards, life in
It’s not easy for most Americans to accept the reality that workers in many countries – especially in Central America and
Sadly, many of the financial figures behind the companies that engage in those tactics are Americans who are driven by a desire for wider and wider profit margins on their investments. They argue that they are giving work to people who otherwise would be unemployed. As such, in their minds, they are justified to be paying the workers so little, because even a little is better than nothing at all.
Members of American labor unions need to show support for their brothers and sisters in countries where workers are not treated so well. They need to educate themselves about the conditions faced by workers in countries such as
Workers must support one another, no matter what the setting may be. Solidarity for all must mean for ALL in order to be more than just an empty slogan.
John A. Ostenburg is mayor of Park Forest, Illinois, and formerly served in the Illinois House of Representatives. He is the chief of staff for the Chicago Teachers Union. E-mail him at JOstenburg@aol.com.
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