Union County Central Labor Council
35 Fadem Road
Springfield, New Jersey
United States 07080
unioncountyclc@njintercom.org
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Victory for the Charleston 5!!!
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House Arrest Ends — Jail Terms No Longer Sought — Five Go Free! |
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Following South Carolina State Attorney General Condon's suprise "separation" from the case, the nearly two year long "house-arrest" status of the Charleston 5 came to an end. Late last week (November 4 through 10) the ordeal of our brothers in the Port of Charleston came to a victorious conclusion as they walked out of the courthouse with a $100 fine each, a far cry from the "Prison, prison, and more prison" Attorney General Condon swore they would serve.
Coming at the end of an election week, the significance of this victory is clear. Even right-wing politicians knew that they could not ride into office on a campaign of incarceration for union members. Likewise, the international support that our brothers in Charleston were about to receive (from dockworkers in ports around the planet) if the case went to trial was key to this important victory. |
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Union County Council co-sponsors forum . . . |
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On Friday, August 24, 2001, a coalition of more than 20 labor and community organizations brought 150 participants to a forum at the American Labor Museum - Botto House National Landmark. This meeting focused on the case of the Charleston 5 in the context of honoring the memory and legacy of Roosevelt Hobbs.
The Union County Labor Council, AFL-CIO, was an early sponsor of this event. President Riley of ILA Local 1422, who spoke eloquently about the case and its political ramifications, is seen in this picture, next to Mr. Hobbs widow. Willie Davis, President of ILA Local 1233 in Port Newark/Elizabethport can be seen over Brother Riley's shoulder.
This event raised well over $2,000 for the defense fund. |
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Support International Longshoremens Association Local 1422 |
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In late 1999 and early 2000, members of ILA Local 1422 and Local 1771 in Charleston, South Carolina, peacefully protested the introduction of a non-union stevedore company. The State of South Carolina's Attorney General mobilized 600 state police, along with armored personnel carriers in response. A "disturbance" was provoked by the police, workers were hurt, and arrests followed.
The State of South Carolina is charging 5 ILA members with rioting. As a result, they are facing the prospect of serious jail time. Twenty-seven other ILA Local 1422 and Local 1771 members are facing civil suits by the non-union stevedore company, aimed at running their lives, in a mean spirited act of revenge.
The South Carolina AFL-CIO has initiated a "Campaign for Workers' Rights in South Carolina" as an effort to build a national defense for these ILA members. The national AFL-CIO is assisting in this effort and I ask your help. |
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Important Victory for Working Families and the Community! |
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This important victory for union members in the state of South Carolina is also a victory in the ongoing struggle for civil and human rights in this country. Right-wing politicians in South Carolina were hoping to tie labor's survival to the fate of five dockworkers they were certain could be railroaded into prison terms, partially on the basis of presumed local animosity to Black workers. Labor's victory is also a victory for the ongoing African American freedom struggle. |
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