ILWU, Million Worker March activists attend rally

A delegation of U.S. trade unionists led by International Longshore Workers Union (ILWU) and Million Worker March activists participated in a National Workers’ Rally in Tokyo’s Hibiya Amphitheatre which 4,900 trade union workers and other activists attended on Nov. 5.

National Workers’ Rally in Tokyo’s Hibiya Amphitheatre, Nov. 5. Photo: DORA-CHIBA

This was the fourth consecutive rally held. This rally and march was organized by Kan-Nama/Solidarity Union of Japan, Minato-Godo/Metal and Machinery Workers’ Union in Osaka, and DORA-CHIBA (National Railway Motive Power Union of Chiba).

The purpose of the rally was to build solidarity among Japanese trade unionists to fight against privatization, union busting, war and a Japanese Constitution revision.

A statement issued by rally organizers explains that, “A large number of workers have been deprived of their right to organize, fired from jobs, and been made irregular (part-time) workers.”

The rate of poverty in Japan, second only to the United States, is growing, as workforces are being down-sized, wages lowered and working families forced to work harder while earning less.

According to Hiroyoki Yamamoto, the Secretary-Treasurer of the DORA-CHIBA International Labor Solidarity Committee, “Each year this rally has succeeded in forging solidarity of the working class and has contributed to the workers’ movement of each participating country.”

International delegation

The international delegation attending the rally and march on Nov. 5 included representatives from the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU) of the Seoul Regional Council; Aircraft Mechanics Fraternal Association (AMFA) Locals 9 and 33; International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) Locals 10, 19, 34, 52, and the Inland Boatman’s Union; and Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLE&T), an affiliate of the Teamsters.

There were several African-American trade union activists representing the ILWU and the Million Worker March Movement that went to Japan and have been visiting that country since the Million Worker March.

ILWU delegates included Clarence Thomas, Local 10 past secretary-treasurer and co-chair of the MWMM; Local 34 member Juan Del Poso and board member Keith Shanklin; Local 19 members John Griffin and Todd R. Weeks; Michael Hoard, Local 52 and member of the African American Longshore Coalition and the Million Worker March Movement; and Joel Schor, member of Inland Boatman Union.

AMFA delegates included Joseph Prisco, president Local 9; Ted Ludwig, president Local 33; Douglas Butz, national treasurer and Paul Jensen, member of BLE&T.

Clarence Thomas led the 16-member U.S. delegation.

The following U.S. trade unionists spoke at the rally: Joseph Prisco, president AMFA Local 9; Ted Ludwig, president AMFA Local 33; Keith Shanklin, executive board member ILWU Local 34; and Clarence Thomas, ILWU Local 10.

DORA-CHIBA Rail Workers & U.S. labor connections

The DORA-CHIBA (National Railway Motive Union of Chiba) invited the U.S. delegation to Japan. It has a history and tradition much like the ILWU of being militant, democratic, an advocate of international solidarity and a fighter for social justice causes.

Its leadership has been in the vanguard of trade union activism. Its founder, Hiroshi Nakano, has been called the Harry Bridges of the DORA-CHIBA. (Bridges was a founder of the ILWU.) Like Bridges, Nakano understands the nature of class struggle and led his union in breaking away from its original affiliate, the Dora National Leadership, to establish an independent progressive union.

The ILWU had its origin as part of the International Longshore Association (ILA) in 1934. In 1937, it broke away and formed the ILWU, a more militant and democratic union independent of the ILA and representing all dockworkers on the West Coast. DORA-CHIBA led the railway struggle against privatization of the Japan National Railways (JNR).

In July 2000, DORA-CHIBA executive board member Kawasaki Masahiro came to San Francisco to develop a friendly relationship with U.S. trade union militants when more than 40 workers of the DORA-CHIBA were dismissed for waging strikes to stop jet fuel transportation to the Narita airport and also to oppose the division and privatization of the JNR. It was at the invitation of Labor Fest that ILWU Local 10 became acquainted with DORA-CHIBA.

The DORA-CHIBA rail workers sent a large delegation to the Million Worker March Mobilization in Washington, D.C. at the Lincoln Memorial on Oct. 17, 2004. The DORA-CHIBA union has embraced the Million Worker March Movement in a big way and has been inviting ILWU and Million Worker March organizers to Japan since 2004. Hundreds of Japanese workers wear the classic blue Million Worker March tee shirt at rallies and marches sponsored by DORA-CHIBA.

International labor discussion

On Nov. 6, there was a briefing/discussion involving Yasuhiro Tanoka, president of the host organization DORA-CHIBA; Hiroyuki Yamamoto, secretary-treasurer of the DORA-CHIBA International Labor Solidarity Committee; Kim Chang-Sedo, vice president of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU) Seoul Regime Council; Han Hyuk director of Foreign Cooperation Seoul Regional Council (KCTU); and U.S. delegates Joe Prisco and Clarence Thomas. The discussion focused on the building of international labor solidarity between Japan and the U.S.

The Korean workers are fighting against massive repression. The Korean government is seeking to destroy the Korean Government Employees Union (KGEU) and the Korean Confederation of Construction Industry Trade Union. There will be actions worldwide to demand justice for Korean workers. At the Korean Consulate in San Francisco, a solidarity picket and rally was held on Nov. 15 as part of an international solidarity action.

ILWU activists Michael Hoard from Local 52, John Griffin from Local 19 and Todd Weeks from Local 19 participated in a four-hour warning strike in downtown Seoul, Korea, on Nov. 12. A full-fledged general strike is planned for Nov. 22.