 |
  |
 |
||
 |
 |
|
||
Term Limits:
ILWU members debated International Officer term limits from the union’s creation until 1977, when then-76-year-old Harry Bridges retired after 40 years as International President. Supporters of term limits wanted to see “new blood” elected, and to politicize younger generations of ILWU leaders. Some were also dissatisfied with Bridges’ style of leadership and negotiating, which they saw as careerist and both sectarian and compromising. However, Bridges’ himself actively supported a number of failed term limit resolutions throughout the 1960s and 70s, and voted himself out of office when the resolution finally passed in 1975. It appears that his longevity was not dependent on careerism or sectarianism. Rather, it depended on the desires of the rank-and-file members, who overwhelmingly supported him during elections, and on union delegates, who went against his wishes when voting down term limits resolutions on more than one occasion.
Pensioner Voting:
ILWU pensioners had voting rights in ILWU International Officer elections from 1953 until 1981. During that period, some ILWU locals had high pensioner turnout and others had minimal pensioner turnout. This created a wide voting disparity and ballot budget allocation problems. The International Officers sought to rectify this in 1981 by banning all pensioners from voting in future elections. The proposal created a heated debate within the union; one that divided members based on their age, location and politics. The pensioners and their allies (who often are among the ILWU’s most politically active and vocal members) protested the decision bitterly, claiming it was a direct infringement on their rights as union members. Others were more supportive of the resolution, which ultimately passed. Unfortunately, pensioners can no longer vote, but they still have speaking rights at conventions and remain more politically active than do those in most other unions.