This Thursday, a symbolic day of remembrance for the International Longshore and Warehouse Union will be marked with sadness after losing colleague Carlos Rivera in a fatal accident on April 4th. Union leaders, retirees, city officials, loved ones and hundreds more will attend the May 15th event at the ILWU Worker Memorial Benches – erected by pensioners in 2005 – in John S. Gibson Waterfront Park on Harbor Avenue in San Pedro. Events are expected to begin at 10:00am.
May 15th is traditionally recognized by the ILWU as the day in 1934 when striking workers faced off against police officers during the sixth day of striking. Two striking workers were shot and killed, an event which soon led to the formation of the ILWU. Every May 15th is taken to remember history and honor any workers lost on the job during the past year. Rivera, a longshoreman with over 40 years of experience, was killed on the job while unloading cargo, and laid to rest barely over one month ago. Rivera is the 12th West Coast docks worker killed on the job since 2002.
“It’s a very special, hallowed place for us,” said ILWU Southern California Pensioners Group President Al Perisho in a statement. “Unfortunately, we’re going to add another name, from April 4th when Carlos Rivera was killed and that’s a tough proposition. We’ve lost a lot of people.”
Rivera’s unfortunate passing comes at a critical time for the ILWU, which is currently negotiating with employers for an updated longshore contract, which is sure to include heavy talk about on the job safety. The current contract will expire on July 1st of this year.
By Ryan ZumMallen, Managing Editor