LONGSHOREMEN (ILA)
Union Riot in Charleston
On the night of Jan. 19-20, about 400 members of the Int’l Longshoremen’s
Ass’n rioted in the Port of Charleston S.C.; the Post & Courier’s editorial
on Jan. 21 paints the picture well:
“Labor violence on Charleston's waterfront must not be rewarded. Unionized dock workers cannot be allowed to get their way through intimidation. Indeed, those responsible for the riot near the docks shortly after midnight Thursday morning must be held to account for their irresponsible - apparently even criminal - actions. The same union that had been condemning what it called an excessive show of police force destroyed its own argument with an excessive show of mob force. Fortunately, a sufficient contingent of law enforcement officers quelled the disturbance and restored order.
Unfortunately, several people - including at least two police officers - were injured. Eyewitness accounts...indicate that hundreds of irate workers, in defiance of police orders, marched directly into the police lines at the State Ports Authority's Columbus Street Terminal, shouting their determination to reach the ship that was being loaded by non-union workers. After the police repulsed the initial frontal assault, the mob began hurling bricks, rocks and pieces of railroad ties at the officers. After the conflict escalated, police finally gained the upper hand and pushed the rioters back toward the union hall.
In the wake of the appalling incident Thursday, the union attempted to shift the blame to the authorities. Such deflection of responsibility simply doesn't ring true.
Less than three weeks ago, a crowd of up to 75 longshoremen disrupted the terminal's operation, temporarily blocking the gates and, according to the alleged victims, roughing up two non-union workers. The union obviously was spoiling for a much bigger fight Wednesday night. A few hours before the after-midnight showdown, union members were making cryptic remarks to our reporter Tony Bartelme. One worker told him, "It's a game of chess. Be patient, you'll get your story." This newspaper - and other media outlets - did get the story, despite the bullying of journalists by rioters. The ugly scene cast an ugly reflection on the union and its leadership.
If the union's leadership was aware that any of its members were, in the vernacular, ready to rumble Wednesday night, it should have dissuaded them. If the leadership was not aware of that combative mood, it was sadly out of touch with the men it represents. Either way, the Wednesday night riot has done the union a gross disservice. Those involved must know that with or without their approval, South Carolina remains a right-to-work state. Non-union workers, by law, can load and unload non-union ships at this port. No union mob will change that reality - and no union's cause will be advanced by that frightening outburst of mob violence at the Columbus Street Terminal.”
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