Major Strikes and Negotiations

Defining Moments in Union Activism

Negotiations and strikes have been among the key things that the ALHWU has used to ensure workers would be treated right. These pivotal moments highlight the union’s commitment to advocating for its members:

1. The 1934 West Coast Longshore Strike
   • The strike launched by longshore working-class men on the West Coast played an important role in shaping the current maritime labor relations. Employees called forhigher remuneration, enhancement of conditions favourable for work, and recognition of trade unions.
   • The strike duration was more than two months and ended up in formation of coastwide contract which proved the union power to give workers huge concessions.
2. The Mechanization and Modernization Agreement (1960s)
   • Lamentably, it emerged that when containerization was taking shape and becoming influential in the shipping industry, the ALHWU sought and agreed to a solution which acknowledged the use of technology in a way that was fair to workers.
   • This historic deal entailed how displaced workers would be taken care off, how they would be retrained to fit into other jobs that may be available within that bounds of advancement in technology in updating the company so as not to negatively affect the members of the union that would be left jobless.
3. Recent Contract Negotiations (21st Century)
   • These motions have persisted until this age; recent pay talks have concerned computerization, employment guarantee, and remunerations enhancement. For instance, in the latest industrial negotiation, the ALHWU succeeded to obtain more workers’ privilege and protection for employees who are at the risk of being replaced by technologies such as automation.

These strikes and negotiations show that the union is capable of responding to industry changes in a way which keeps its members’ best in mind.

Legislative Victories

Shaping Policies for Maritime Workers

The ALHWU undertakes the role of lobbying for laws and policies that enhance the welfare of longshoremen, harbor workers and their dependents.

1. The Longshore and Harbor Workers’ Compensation Act (1927)
   • This federal law, backed by much support from the union awards compensation for workers who are injured on maritime sites.
   • The legislation for the first time became a law allowing workers to rest and receive financial compensation for medical treatment.
2. Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA) Provisions
   • The ALHWU had always been advocating for a better safety measure for seaports and harbors.
   • The stringent measures that the union demanded and which were adopted under OSHA trimmed workplace incidents and deaths.
3. Recent Legislative Efforts
   • The ALHWU still wants polices on things like automation and sustainability that are emerging as issues in the labor market. For instance, the union has backed a law to prescribe retraining of displaced employees by automatization and efforts to upgrade the port facilities.

These legislative achievements are supportive of the union’s efforts to guarantee jobbers of exercise of their rights and freedoms through legislation.