The familiar smell of coffee brewing filled the air of an abandoned building in Tacoma, Washington, on December 7. Members of the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW or Wobblies) and Olympia EF!ers were dispersed in small working groups gearing up for a special predawn action to support the steelworkers striking at Kaiser Aluminum. Kaiser Aluminum and Pacific Lumber (PL), the company cutting the Headwaters redwood groves, are both controlled by Maxxam. We all knew the morning's joint action would bewilder a number of people and, with any luck, give Charles Hurwitz (Maxxam's chief executive officer) well-earned ulcers to match his poor mental health. Well, merry Christmas and a happy New Year Charles: the United Steelworkers of America (USWA), the IWW and forest activists have united to stop the destructive forces of Maxxam.
The December 7 action applied some long overdue pressure on both Hurwitz and Kaiser Aluminum by supporting the USWA, which has been on strike since September 1998. Kaiser's unwillingness to work with the union has been clearly demonstrated. Although '97 was a record-breaking year for the company in both production and profits, grossing $168 million, it decided to eliminate over 400 jobs in five plants, cut pension funds and take medical care away from retired workers. Kaiser has been hiring scabs (temporary, non-union labor) from Pacific Lumber, which laid off 180 workers itself when it lost its 1998 timber operator's license due to criminal logging operations. As of December, Kaiser had already spent $8 million to break the strike.
Enclosed in darkness, with high winds and heavy rain, several EF!ers eased their way through the Port of Tacoma and swiftly ascended the only crane and conveyor belt that could be used by the scabs to unload the Sea Diamond, a 650-ton ore ship returning from Australia. One port security officer pulled his gun on two support people on the crane, but Sid and Nancy refused to descend until "properly trained" cops arrived. They were both arrested. Others activists locked down in front of the rope anchor points to help protect the climbers.
As daylight exposed itself a picket line organized by the union with the help of the IWW grew, and everyone waited for the boat. A union member at Brown's Point sighted the ship and notified us that it would be docking in 45 minutes. In response to the news, a flotilla of boats led by the Wobblies went to greet the Sea Diamond, informing the captain that the ship would not be allowed to enter the port.
Simultaneously, the activists on the crane's conveyor belt descended and unfurled a 45-foot banner from 150-feet up that read, "Hurwitz Cuts Jobs Like He Cuts Trees." Cheers went up from the crowd below as the climbers and banner slowly descended from the catwalk of the crane. But howling wind made a sail out of the banner, and the two climbers were tossed around like a salad. They looked like rag dolls. Safety tip #1: Never deploy a 45-foot banner in 50-mile-per-hour winds!
Silence fell on the port as activists, strikers, media folks and cops all looked up, wondering if the climbers were seriously hurt. One cop was quoted in a news interview saying he had never seen dedication like this before. One climber was able to pop the quick release on his harness, but the other climber had to get scissors out of his pocket and cut the line that held him to the billowing banner. Safety tip #2: Always have a small knife or scissors on a climb. Our climbers ascended back to the floor of the conveyor belt for safety, avoiding the fire department's dangerous attempts to grab them from the fire ladder.
The wind carried on persistently, making it impossible for the climbers on the crane to deploy their banner. The cops agreed to cite and release them if they came down. Five people were issued citations and one escaped, while the supporters were free to go.
While this was going on, the ship's captain decided it was unsafe to bring the ship any closer to the port and ordered the anchor dropped. The anchored ship meant business as usual was disrupted, and unloading could not begin until the next morning at the earliest, thus costing Kaiser $33,000. I could feel Judi Bari smiling in delight with the day's events.
It seems the union has more friends than it knew about, for the boat sat for many more days due to unexpected sabotage. The unions are calling the saboteurs "The Men in Black" and are very grateful for their work. In the process of unloading the ship the day after the action, workers discovered that a four-foot-wide conveyor belt used to transport the ore had been cut most of the way through. While attempting to repair the belt, a 13-foot gash appeared so that it had to be completely replaced, costing Kaiser much more time and money. Additionally, the wiring loom and hydraulic lines were sabotaged. It is clear that whoever did the latter damage to Kaiser's equipment knew exactly where the ship's weak points were, making it unlikely anyone with the USWA, Earth First! or the IWW was involved. With these combined actions the boat ended up in port for 24 days instead of the seven it normally takes to unload. Again, this cost Kaiser $33,000 a day.
Olympia Earth First!, the IWW and the USWA have chosen to unite against a common villain, Charles Hurwitz, and his greedy corporation, Maxxam. The media described our new coalition as an unexpected and "odd alliance." But when you have one rich fuck such as Charles Hurwitz exploiting both his workers and the land, it's a natural coalition. Actions will continue until the workers' demands are met by Kaiser and PL gets out of Headwaters forest.
For more information on the strike contact Olympia EF! at POB 12391, Olympia, WA 98508; (541) 485-7333. For more information on Headwaters, contact Northcoast EF! at POB 28, Arcata, CA 95518; (707) 825-6598; ncef@humboldt1.com.