Longshore workers fight

I noticed when I read Lauren Hart's article in the April 17, 2000, issue that the workers in ILA Local 1422 in Charleston, South Carolina, had received donations from various longshore or dockers locals. The union on the west coast is the ILWU, the International Long-shoremen's and Warehousemen's Union, not the International Longshore Association. I don't know which locals contributed in British Columbia, but the local in Vancouver is LU 500. Otherwise, this is a good article, one I will point out to people I sell to at the BC Maritime Employers Dispatch Center.

Lucien Lenoire  
Vancouver, Canada  
 

New rail union in N.Y.

On February 28, 2000, the overwhelming majority of conductors and engineers at Metro-North Commuter Railroad in New York City, decided to form a union called The Association of Commuter Rail Employees (ACRE). Prior to the formation of ACRE, they were members of two national industrial unions--the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers (BLE) and the United Transportation Union (UTU).

The idea of splitting from the Internationals was initiated and organized by the local leaderships of the BLE and UTU. The campaign to organize ACRE started around December of 1998. These officials argued that the UTU focuses primarily on freight workers and not passenger engineers. Therefore--it was argued--they are taking our money and we are essentially getting nothing in return, and the money would be better used locally.

ACRE literature focused on the need to form a more "democratic union" which would write its own constitution and bylaws. This would be the route to "self-determination" and the ability to take care of "ourselves." The rank and file's discussions, on the other hand, focused on the idea that what this was all about was who controls the money. There were discussions about how to take our unions back, solidarity with freight workers, and other striking workers around the country.

ACRE is starting to organize monthly union meetings and continuing to get engineers to leave the BLE local. The majority of engineers are staying with ACRE, for various reasons. Some feel it best to stay with the majority, while many feel we should give it a try and see what happens.

Barbara Peterson 
Wendy Banen New York, New York  
 

Support Abu-Jamal fight

I was among 700 participants in a New York Emergency Conference to Save Mumia Abu-Jamal held February 19. This month federal judge William Yohn will hear oral arguments and rule on whether Mumia's lawyers will be allowed to present evidence that was suppressed in the Pennsylvania courts.

Under the "Effective Death Penalty Act" of 1996 federal judges are now supposed to accept the finding of state courts. Leonard Weinglass, Abu-Jamal's attorney, explained, "President Clinton signed the Anti-Terrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act of 1996.... It's part and parcel of what's happening both in civil law and in criminal law across the board if you follow the actions of the United States Supreme Court. We are back to the states' rights movement of the '50s."

A National Emergency Mobilization to Philadelphia has been called for Mumia's first day in court at the critical oral arguments on whether there will be an evidentiary hearing by Judge Yohn. This ruling will determine whether Abu-Jamal's state conviction will be overturned.

Actions that are being organized include weekly "Honk for Mumia" picket lines outside the federal court buildings in Philadelphia to build support for mobilizations planned for April and May. A Madison Square Garden Rally for Mumia is scheduled for Sunday May 7, at 2:00 p.m. On May 13--the 15th anniversary of the police bombing of the MOVE headquarters in Philadelphia--there will be demonstrations in San Francisco and Philadelphia. There will be a Mothers March Against Police Terror in Philadelphia and the Western Regional Mass Demonstration for Mumia in San Francisco.

Connie Allen 
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

The letters column is an open forum for all viewpoints on subjects of general interest to our readers.  
 
 
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