Previous Article: LIUNA 78 - new contract, new officers

Next Article: UAW Public Review Board, a sometime deterrent

Longshore workers, get all the news: SUBSCRIBE to Union Democracy Review!

Who will police the Longshoremen's Ethics Code?

Scrambling to fend off a threatened federal racketeering suit, the International Longshoremen's Association (ILA) has adopted a Code of Ethics and hired a former investigator of police corruption in New York City to enforce it.

The ILA has a long history of mob corruption and in recent years it has seen several of its officers, including one on its international executive board, indicted on racketeering charges. Reports in the news media and from ILA members indicate that the U.S. Justice Department is considering a RICO suit that could lead to a federal monitorship of the union like the one the Teamsters is currently under.

The code, which the union says has been mailed to all members and officers, is mostly a reiteration of existing requirements and prohibitions of federal law, but it also forbids knowingly associating with organized crime figures and failing to cooperate with an appointed Ethical Practices Counsel whose powers are described in the code. (The union named as counsel Michael Armstrong who held a similar post in the New York City Carpenters District Council when it was under court supervision). The counsel is granted access to all ILA books and can bring charges for violating the code. The charges, however, are heard through the already-existing procedure defined in the union's constitution, which means that the international executive board or a panel appointed by it acts as judge and jury. The counsel can also be dismissed at any time by the union.

The code contains a provision which appears to provide a means for attacking a major source of corruption and impediment to union democracy on the docks: hiring hall discrimination - including the outright selling of jobs - an abuse that is is especially prevalent in locals under racketeer influence. Part X of the code requires "scrupulous fairness" in administration of union hiring halls. But this section may be more of a public relations ploy than an attempt to remedy the problem: the code appears to say that the ethics counsel has authority to investigate hiring hall complaints only if they can be linked to organized crime and corruption.

There are other troubling aspects of the code. A page-long "Democratic Practices" section, which declares respect for members' democratic rights, gives nearly equal-time to vague restrictions on those rights. Freedom of speech, says the code, "does not include the right to undermine the ILA or its constituent Local Unions as institutions," to disregard the interests of the union, or to "engage in dual unionism." The latter seems specifically aimed at scaring members away from the Longshore Workers Coalition, an internal reform caucus that has made progress calling for greater democracy in the union.

Still, if enforced, the code would be a great step forward for democracy and fairness in the ILA. But effective enforcement is doubtful if it depends on same union officials who have tolerated organized crime for decades.

Other articles on the ILA:
Reform movement spreads in ILA (12/04-1/05)
Longshore workers nearly reject master contract (9/04-10/04)
Question and Answer: RICO monitorship in ILA? (9/04-10/04)
Who will police the Longshoremen's ethics code? (1/04-3/04)
ILA Baltimore local threatened with trusteeship (5/03-6/03)
Nine years without a contract in ILA Lake Charles Local (3/03-4/03)
Reformers win majority in harbor workers local 333, ILA (8/9 2002)
AUD at Charleston ILA meeting (News 4/02)
Charleston Longshore unions win major victory 2/3 2002
"Charleston Longshore workers lead battle for reform." 8/9 2001
Links to Longshore worker websites

back to top

Previous Article: LIUNA 78 - new contract, new officers

Next Article: UAW Public Review Board, a sometime deterrent

This website is made possible by contributions from union members and supporters like you. Please help us build the movement for union democracy, join or contribute to AUD.

AUDHome; Legal Rights; Education; Union Democracy Review; Books; AUDLinks

Page designed by Matt Noyes, National Writers Union/UAW, and Rachel Szekely
The Association for Union Democracy. www.uniondemocracy.org
104 Montgomery Street, Brooklyn, New York, 11225; USA; 718-564-1114; info@uniondemocracy.org

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License.

Use the following credit line on the materials you use:
"From the website of the Association for Union Democracy. www.uniondemocracy.org. Email: info@uniondemocracy.org. 104 Montgomery Street, Brooklyn, New York, 11225; USA; 718-564-1114"

Please notify us at websteward@uniondemocracy.org when you use material from the site.

Send comments or suggestions on the website to websteward@uniondemocracy.org.