Socialist Action /April 2001
Editorials
Defend the Charleston Five!
Five trade unionists, employed on the docks in
Charleston, South Carolina, face imprisonment for the "crime"
of defending their jobs against scabs. The five-members of ILA longshore
Local 1422 and clerks and checkers Local 1771-are victims of a frame-up
by the police, state officials, and the steamship bosses.
The AFL-CIO has initiated a campaign on behalf
of the Charleston Five to demand that the charges be dropped. The defense
effort deserves strong support by trade-union activists and civil liberties
advocates around the country.
Bill Fletcher, the AFL-CIO liaison to the defense
campaign, points out, "This is a very compelling case, one that brings
together all the issues-voice at work and the right to organize, issues
of racial justice, and issues of democracy."
Local 1422 has a mainly African American membership.
Unionized longshore work is one of the few areas of employment in which
Black workers in South Carolina can expect to significantly improve their
standard of living. But the companies want to end that.
In late 1999, Nordana Lines notified the ILA locals
that it would begin using non-union labor to unload its ships. The unions
set up picket lines in response. On Jan. 20, 2000, the company, together
with the police, staged a provocation in order to break the power of the
unions. Some 600 police deployed armored vehicles, helicopters, patrol boats,
and mounted units to guard about 20 scabs working on the ship Skodsborg.
The cops also gathered in front of the union hall.
In the evening, when the unionists went toward
the terminal to form their picket lines, they were pushed back by the police.
Several officials of the union, including Local 1422 President Ken Riley,
tried to create a buffer between the cops and the pickets in order to calm
the situation. After a cop clubbed Riley on the head, a fight broke out.
The police arrested eight union members on the
charge of misdemeanor trespassing, but state Attorney General Carlie Condon
raised the charges to felony rioting. After a judge dismissed the cases
at a preliminary hearing, citing a lack of evidence, Condon went to the
grand jury, where he succeeded in obtaining felony indictments against five
of the defendants. Condon says he wants "jail, jail, and more jail"
for the five.
"The attorney general is planning to run for
governor next time around, and he's trying to make a name for himself,"
says South Carolina AFL-CIO President Donna Dewitt. "I think he plans
to make himself a name at the expense of these five guys."
As they await trial, the Charleston Five remain
under a curfew requiring them to stay at home between 7 p.m. and 7 a.m.
unless they are working or attending a union meeting. They are not allowed
to leave the state.
In the meantime, the non-union stevedore company
that supplied the scab workers, WSI, is suing Local 1422 and Local 1771,
the presidents of the union locals, and 27 other trade unionists whom the
company said it recognized from photographs of peaceful picket lines. WSI
is claiming $1.5 million and damages for its alleged losses.
The prosecution of the Charleston Five is a direct
challenge to the right of the labor movement to set up picket lines without
harassment by the police and threats of court action. We urge our readers
to participate in Charleston Five defense committees that are being set
up around the country with the support of the AFL-CIO and its member unions.
A call has been issued for an international dockworkers'
day of action to take place in solidarity with the Charleston Five when
their trial begins. For information on this event and on local defense committees,
contact the South Carolina AFL-CIO at (803) 798-8300.
Stop Israeli Aggression!
More and more, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict
is looking like an undeclared war. In a recent episode, an Israeli military
helicopter murdered a Palestinian militant James-Bond style, firing three
missiles into the car that he was driving.
Palestinian officials have accused Israelis of
assassinating 20 Palestinian militants since the start of the present conflict.
Some 380 Palestinian civilians have also lost their lives.
Firefights between the Israeli army and Palestinian
armed fighters have become a frequent occurrence, and often involve tanks
and helicopters. Palestinian neighborhoods have been bombed and shelled.
And in these conditions, the Israeli right, with the wind of Sharon's overwhelming
electoral victory in its sails, is calling for a "crackdown."
What could a "crackdown" mean other than
a general military assault aimed at crushing and atomizing the Palestinian
community? Such a massive terror operation would be a major setback for
world civilization, setting the stage for future murderous wars in the Middle
East .
Thus, the stakes in the present conflict in Palestine
are very high for all people who value peace, democracy, and justice. It
is essential that they raise their voices against the escalating Israeli
aggressiveness. This is especially important in the United States, the main
imperialist sponsor of the Israeli state, which is founded on the dispossession
and repression of the Palestinian people.
Socialist Action /April 2001 |