ILWU 22 members picket for fair contract at Port of Tacoma

The following is from the Pierce County Central Labor Council, AFL-CIO:

PORT OF TACOMA (Oct. 18, 2023) — Hard-working members of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) Local 22 held an informational picket outside the Port of Tacoma offices on Tuesday morning, immediately prior to the regularly scheduled commissioner meeting.

More than 40 members lined the entrance with signs demanding a fair contract and a cost-of-living adjustment that keeps up with inflation. One young supporter carried a sign that said, “diapers are expensive pay my dad COLA.”  Trucks and other cars passing by honked their horns in approval of the action.

“We are part of the union team that kept this port going through COVID,” said Local 22 President Mike Kisak, “while management continues to do remote work, we do what we’ve done every day — we show up and keep the port moving. We are dedicated to our work and we deserve a contract that keeps up with the cost of living.”

When the commissioners heard of the informational picket, they cancelled their regular meeting and urged both sides to meet and work out a solution.

“In more than 50 years of my work, I have never crossed a picket line, and I was not going to do so today,” said retired ILWU member and current Port of Tacoma Commissioner Dick Marzano.

Bargaining sessions resume today (Wednesday, Oct. 18).