WHEREAS five leaders of ILA Local 1422 in Charleston, South Carolina, face up to five years in prison for charges of “felony riot”; and

WHEREAS these charges stem from what Local 1422 President Ken Riley has termed a “police riot,” an attack by 600 cops on union members picketing a scab ship that occurred January 20, 2000; and

WHEREAS the conflict stemmed from the October, 1999, announcement by the Nordana Line that it would unilaterally terminate its 27-year recognition of Local 1422 that it would henceforth use nonunion labor; and

WHEREAS this racist attack on a predominantly Black local is part of the overall racist climate in South Carolina, most clearly expressed by the state’s unwillingness to completely remove the Confederate flag from State House grounds; and

WHEREAS the Charleston Five have the support of the national AFL-CIO and longshore unions worldwide;

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that Pride At Work pledges its support to the Charleston Five and demands the charges against them be immediately dropped.

Submitted by:
Northeast Ohio Pride At Work
Susan Schnur, Co-chair
Lloyd Clarke, Co-chair
Sharon Dannan, Secretary
Martha Grevatt, Treasurer