ÿþ<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"> <html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en"> <head> <meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=iso-8859-1" /> <meta name="keywords" content="" /> <meta name="description" content="" /> <meta name="robots" content="index,follow" /> <META HTTP-EQUIV="CACHE-CONTROL" CONTENT="NO-CACHE"> <META HTTP-EQUIV="PRAGMA" CONTENT="NO-CACHE"> <title>ILA Exploring Ways It Can Aid In Haitian Relief Effort</title> <script type="text/javascript" src="js/main.js"></script> <script type="text/javascript" src="js/anylinkvertical.js"></script> <link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" media="all" href="css/main.css" /> <link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" media="all" href="css/internal.css" /> <link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" media="print" href="css/print.css" /> <link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" media="all" href="css/anylinkvertical.css" /> <link rel="Shortcut Icon" type="image/x-icon" href="favicon.ico" /> <style> <!-- div.Section1 {page:Section1;} --> </style> </head> <body> <!-- navigation --> <div id="menu_ilatoday" class="anylinkcss"> <a href="childrensfund.html">Children's Fund</a> <!-- <a href="leg_issues.html">Where We Stand</a> --> <a href="history.html">History</a> </div> <div id="menu_about" class="anylinkcss"> <a href="executive_council.html">ILA Exec Council</a> <a href="executive_board.html">ACD Exec Board</a> <a href="sagcd_executive_board.html">SAGCD Exec Board</a> <a href="bios.html">Officer Bios</a> <a href="directory.html">ILA Directory</a> <a href="links.html">ILA Links</a> <a href="pdf/MasterContractAndMemorandumOfSettlement.pdf">Master Contract and Memorandum of Settlement</a> <a href="http://www.afl-cio.org/">AFL-CIO Website</a> <a href="http://www.clc-ctc.ca/">CLC Website</a> <a href="http://www.itf.org.uk/">ITF Website</a> </div> <div id="menu_constitution" class="anylinkcss"> <a href="pdf/ILAConstitution.pdf" target="_blank">ILA Constitution</a> </div> <!-- end navigation --> <div id="container"> <div id="header"> <div id="logo" onclick="location.href='index.html'" title="Click to Return Home"></div> <div id="email"><a href="mailto:jmcnamara@ilaunion.org" title="E-mail ILA"><img src="img/icon_email.gif" alt="E-mail" width="26" height="20" /></a></div> <div id="animation"> <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tr><td><img src="img/headericons/i1.jpg" alt="Icon" id="img1" width="185" height="140" /></td><td><img src="img/headericons/i5.jpg" alt="Icon" id="img2" width="185" height="140" /></td><td><img src="img/headericons/i4.jpg" alt="Icon" id="img3" width="185" height="140" /></td></tr></table> </div> </div> <div id="sandbox"> <div id="leftnav"> <div id="leftnav_bar"> <div id="leftnav_content"> <img src="images/menu/top.jpg" alt="Home" width="193" height="9" /><br /> <a href="index.html" title="Home"><img src="images/menu/home.jpg" alt="Home" width="193" height="25" /></a><br /> <a href="news.html" title="News"><img src="images/menu/news.jpg" alt="News" width="193" height="25" /></a><br /> <a href="calendar.html" title="Calendar"><img src="images/menu/calendar.jpg" alt="Calendar" width="193" height="25" /></a><br /> <a href="leg_updates0729.html" title="Legislative Update"><img src="images/menu/legislativeUpdate.jpg" alt="Legislative Update" width="193" height="25" /></a><br /> <a href="newsletters.html" title="Newsletter"><img src="images/menu/newsletter.jpg" alt="Newsletter" width="193" height="25" /></a><br /> <a href="ila_today.html" title="ILA Today" onclick="return clickreturnvalue()" onmouseover="dropdownmenu(this, event, 'menu_ilatoday')"><img src="images/menu/ilaToday.jpg" alt="ILA Today" width="193" height="25" /></a><br /> <a href="about.html" title="About" onclick="return clickreturnvalue()" onmouseover="dropdownmenu(this, event, 'menu_about')"><img src="images/menu/about.jpg" alt="About" width="193" height="25" /></a><br /> <a href="constitution.html" title="Constitution" onclick="return clickreturnvalue()" onmouseover="dropdownmenu(this, event, 'menu_constitution')"><img src="images/menu/constitution.jpg" alt="Constitution" width="193" height="25" /></a><br /> <a href="pdf/CodeOfEthics.pdf" title="Code of Ethics" target="_blank"><img src="images/menu/codeofethics.jpg" alt="Code of Ethics" width="193" height="25" /></a><br /> <a href="links.html" title="Links"><img src="images/menu/links.jpg" alt="Links" width="193" height="25" /></a><br /> <a href="ilaPhotos.html" title="ILA Photos"><img src="images/menu/ilaPhotos.jpg" alt="ILA Photos" width="193" height="25" /></a><br /> <img src="images/menu/nav_icon_blank.jpg" alt="Home" width="193" height="125" /><br /> </div> </div> </div> <div id="content"> <div id="content_center"> <table width="100%" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="content_sandbox"> <tr> <td align="center"><h2>ILA Exploring Ways It Can Aid In Haitian Relief Effort; Efforts Hampered By Destruction of Haiti s Main Port</h2></td> <td align="right" valign="bottom" class="nav_links"></td> </tr> <tr><td align="right" valign="bottom"><span class="content_date">01/19/2010</span></td></tr> </table> <div class="blue_line"></div> <br> Richard P. Hughes, Jr., President, International Longshoremen s Association, AFL-CIO, is exploring ways which his union and its members can aid the humanitarian relief in Haiti, following last week s devastating earthquake. While scores of ILA members at ports from Maine to Texas, Great Lakes and Puerto Rico have volunteered to travel to Haiti to assist in the unloading of relief shipments there, Haiti s largest seaport remains in shambles according to various news reports, and commercial and military shipping experts don t expect the Port International de Port-au-Prince to reopen anytime soon. <br /><br /> Housing and feeding volunteers traveling to Haiti remains a major challenge in the relief effort. <br /><br /> Presently, the bulk of relief supplies are being air lifted to the Port-au-Prince Airport with distribution being assisted by U.S. Army troops. <br /><br /> "I have contacted representatives of our U.S. Government, our employers represented by United States Maritime Alliance (USMX), other AFL-CIO affiliated maritime unions and the International Transport Workers Federation to see what relief programs they either have in place where we can offer assistance or ones which we can create to bring aid to Haiti, said President Hughes.  I have asked our military consultant, Col. Ralph Stocker, to keep me updated on how the ILA might assist our U.S. military at ports here in the U.S. loading relief cargo and in Haiti and neighboring countries where these supplies might be off loaded." <br /><br /> The ILA President contacted U.S. Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood with pledges to President Barack Obama and his administration that the ILA will cooperate with the U.S. relief effort. President Hughes is also working with the leadership of the AFL-CIO, and its Maritime Trades Department and Transportation Trades Department to coordinate labor s response to the Haitian tragedy. <br /><br /> The ILA leader said he was deeply moved, but not surprised, by offers from scores of his members to volunteer their services to travel to Haiti to bring their expertise in helping to unload and distribute relief cargo. Unfortunately, a number of obstacles must be overcome before volunteers could be sent. <br /><br /> Presently, Haiti s major port is shut down making it impossible to ship supplies there. Container cranes in Port-Au-Prince toppled into the water during the earthquake and other debris may be in the harbor making the waterway virtually impossible for cargo ships to navigate. News reports indicate that commercial and U.S. military teams are expected to start surveying the coast to find suitable  makeshift port areas. <br /><br /> ILA members eager to travel to Haiti immediately would still encounter housing and other problems. <br /><br /> "We re not equipped to move our ILA members into Haiti and adequately house and feed them like the U.S. military can," said President Hughes. "We might just be adding to the problem there instead of working on a solution. But there are things we can do now, collectively, to help." <br /><br /> At ILA ports in the Maine to Texas region, President Hughes wants to make certain that relief cargo destined for Haiti gets loaded quickly and efficiently by ILA members. <br /><br /> ILA President Hughes offered high praise for those ILA locals that have already established programs to aid Haiti. He hopes these efforts will be expanded throughout the ILA. <br /><br /> In Miami, just hours after the earthquake struck Haiti, members of ILA Local 1416 began collecting non-perishable food items, water, over-the-counter medications and donations to aid the Haitian relief effort. Also in Miami, Local 2062 announced today that it will be working with the United Nations sending 50 port truck drivers with their trucks to Haiti to deliver supplies throughout the country. <br /><br /> The AFL-CIO Solidarity Center, whose mission is to promote worker rights worldwide, has established an Earthquake Relief for Haitian Workers Campaign. Information on this campaign can be found at aflcio.org and donations can be sent directly to Solidarity Center Education Fund, 888 16th Street, NW, Suite 400, Washington, DC 20006. <br /><br /><br /><br /> </div> </div> </div> <div id="footer"> <div class="footer_left">&copy; All Rights Reserved.&nbsp;&nbsp;2010 International Longshoremen's Association</div> <div class="footer_right"><a href="index.html">Home</a> | <a href="about.html">About</a> | <a href="contact.html">Contact</a></div> </div> </div> </body> </html>