<html>
<head>
<meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=ISO-8859-1">
</head>
<body bgcolor="#FFFFFF" text="#000000">
<h1 class="title" id="page-title">Activists declare first victory as
Israeli ship delays docking at Oakland</h1>
<div class="submitted">
<span property="dc:date dc:created"
content="2014-08-16T18:48:59+00:00" datatype="xsd:dateTime"
rel="sioc:has_creator">Submitted by <span class="username"
xml:lang="" about="/users/charlotte-silver"
typeof="sioc:UserAccount" property="foaf:name" datatype="">Charlotte
Silver</span> on Sat, 08/16/2014 - 18:48<br>
<b><small><small><small><small><a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://electronicintifada.net/blogs/charlotte-silver/activists-declare-first-victory-israeli-ship-delays-docking-oakland">http://electronicintifada.net/blogs/charlotte-silver/activists-declare-first-victory-israeli-ship-delays-docking-oakland</a></small></small></small></small></b><br>
</span> </div>
<div class="field-body">
<div id="file-28439" class="file file-image file-image-jpeg
media-element file-full media-image-right" style="width:300px;"><br>
</div>
<p>San Francisco Bay Area Palestine activists have declared their
first victory in attempting to prevent the offloading of an
Israeli cargo vessel at the Oakland Port. Originally planning to
show up at 5:00 am Saturday morning to block the ship, activists
sent word out late last night that the meeting time had been
moved up to 3:00pm, as the ship had delayed its arrival at
Oakland in an apparent attempt to avoid the protest. </p>
<p>Activist Mohamed Shehk told The Electronic Intifada that the
organizers have <a
href="http://www.marinetraffic.com/en/ais/home/centerx:-123.1425/centery:36.64083/zoom:8/mmsi:477634800">been
tracking</a> the vessel <em>Zim Piraeus</em>, and realized
last night that it had stopped before reaching its Oakland
destination, spending the night at sea.</p>
<p>“This delay is seen as a victory for us. It shows how much Zim
is trying to avoid our protest, and it shows how effective we
can be when we can organize these types of actions,” Shehk said.</p>
<p>Zim Integrated Shipping Services is the Israeli international
maritime shipping line.</p>
<p>A Zim Lines ship docks every Friday night around 9:00 pm at the
Oakland port for an early morning offload. Activists have been
working with members of the local chapter of the International
Longshoremen’s and Warehousemen’s Union (ILWU), and hope that
port workers will agree not to offload the Israeli cargo.</p>
<p>Of significance, the ILWU Local 10 is currently negotiating a
new contract, the previous one having expired 1 July 2014. This
means that ILWU Local 10 could potentially engage in a strike
without breaking the rules of a contract.</p>
<p>In 2010, when activists <a
href="http://electronicintifada.net/content/activists-prevent-israeli-ship-unloading-us-port/8886">successfully
prevented the offloading of a Zim Lines ship</a> in an
historic first, Local 10 relied on the port’s arbitrator to
declare the working conditions unsafe. According to longtime
rank and file union member Clarence Thomas, there is currently
no contractual language which would allow for an arbitrator to
be called in: “I expect the rank and file to respect the picket
line, as we have done of picket lines since the 1930s.” </p>
<p>ILWU has a long history of refusing to load ships from
countries engaging in gross violations of human rights. In the
1930s, West Coast dockworkers refused to load and offload ships
belonging to Italy after they invaded Ethiopia, and Japan after
it invaded Manchuria.</p>
<p>In 1978 and 1980, ILWU refused to load military cargo headed
for Chile and El Salvador respectively. And in 1984, the union
refused to unload a South African ship for 11 straight days.</p>
<p>The terminal at which Zim Lines docks is owned by Stevedoring
Services of America — which has been in protracted negotiations
with ILWU Local 10 since last May.</p>
<p>Speaking as a rank and file member of the ILWU Local 10, Thomas
emphasized that organizing at the ports in solidarity with
Palestinians is essential given that Israel has foreclosed on
any opportunity for Palestinians to engage in international
trade through its ports.</p>
<p>“As a longshoreman, I know how critical international trade is
to the economy. I think it is an appropriate action against
those who have prevented the self-determination of the
Palestinian people and to show solidarity with the people of
Gaza.”</p>
</div>
<div class="moz-signature">-- <br>
Freedom Archives
522 Valencia Street
San Francisco, CA 94110
415 863.9977
<a class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated" href="http://www.freedomarchives.org">www.freedomarchives.org</a>
</div>
</body>
</html>