PCPA convention meets in Vancouver

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PCPA convention meets in Vancouver

The Pacific Coast Pensioners Association (PCPA) held their 55th Annual Convention from September 18-20 in Vancouver, British Columbia.

A total of 147 delegates and guests attended this year's meeting. The topics tackled at the convention included the importance of political action, the ongoing conflict in Gaza, and the benefits of a single-payer/Medicare for All healthcare system. The convention was dedicated to the memory of pensioners who have passed since the last convention.

Guests in attendance included ILWU Canada President Rob Ashton, ILWU Canada First Vice President Tom Doran, ILWU Canada Secretary-Treasurer Bob Dhaliwal, Local 13 Secretary-Treasurer Jesse Lopez, Local 10 President Trent Willis, Local 10 Vice President Vanetta Hamlin, Local 10 Business Agent Ed Henderson, Bay Area Longshoremen's Association (BALMA) Vice President Trevor McCoy, Alaska Longshore Division (AKLD) President Dennis Young, AKLD Financial Treasurer Darryl Tseu, ILWU Area Welfare Directors and ADRP representatives, and representatives from the Benefits Plan Office.

Guest speakers

Minister of Labor for the Province of British Columbia Harry Bains was the first speaker at the convention. Minister Bains spoke about his history as a trade unionist in a sawmill where he started as a rank-and-file activist and was eventually elected to the leadership of his local.

He spoke about the success British Columbia has had in raising the minimum wage, establishing paid sick days for all workers, and providing protections for gig workers like Uber, Lyft, and food delivery drivers.

"Regardless of what sector of the economy you work in, we believe you are entitled to the same basic protections as all workers," Bains said. He added that establishing those protections for workers demonstrates the importance of electing the right people to office and that "politics matters."

Rob Ashton

ILWU Canada President Rob Ashton spoke on the importance of political action, the gains won for labor with the New Democratic Party (NDP), and the need to defend the right to strike. "Which party will protect the rights of workers and which party will protect the almighty dollar?" Ashton asked.

Ashton also thanked the pensioners for building a strong union with a reputation for standing up for all workers. "Our union leads the way at every turn," Ashton said, "We go to picket lines to support other unions and you can see the smiles on their faces because the ILWU is there. That is because of this union that pensioners created for my generation and generations to come. I want to thank all of you pensioners for giving us the ILWU. We promise to take care of it and allow it to grow," Ashton said.

Single Payer Healthcare

Kay Tillow, Coordinator for the All Unions Committee for Single Payer Health Care, which builds union support for national single-payer healthcare, gave a detailed presentation on the shortcomings of the United States' current healthcare system and the benefits of a national not-for-profit single-payer healthcare system.

"We want to remove the profit-taking middleman from our healthcare system, which would free up about 30 percent of healthcare costs that can then be used to expand healthcare," Tillow said. Compared to every other industrial nation, the United States spends more money per capita on health care but provides less care and has worse health care outcomes, Tillow said.

Benefits plan office

John Barton, Executive Director of the ILWU-PMA Benefits Plan took to the floor to answer questions from pensioners. The Area Welfare Directors and ADRP Representatives were also on hand to answer questions.

Vancouver Port Authority

Parm Hari from the Vancouver Port Authority spoke at the convention. She thanked ILWU members and pensioners for driving the success of the Port of Vancouver and explained the critical role the Port of Vancouver plays in the local and regional economy.

PCPA Officers' reports

PCPA President Mike Jagielski reported that PCPA is doing well in 2024 thanks to the dedication, perseverance, and solidarity of the Longshore Division's Negotiating Committee members and the leadership of ILWU International President Willie Adams. Jagielski also thanked Southern California Pensioner President Greg Mitre for serving as the pensioner representative on the Longshore Negotiating Committee. Jagielski recounted his activities over the past year since being elected PCPA President including the attending ILWU Convention and his travels visiting different pensioner club meetings.

He also spoke about the importance of voting in the upcoming U.S. presidential election which he described as a "turning point" for the country. He referenced the "Project 2025" plan for a second Trump administration which seeks to undermine Social Security, Medicaid, Medicare, and labor unions. He said that he donated to the ILWU's political action fund and he encouraged others to do the same.

PCPA Vice President Lawrence Thibeaux gave his report which focused on key debates and discussions that occurred at the ILWU Convention.

Oral history committee

Connor Casey Labor Archivist at the Labor Archives of the University of Washington and ILWU historian Harvey Schwartz gave a brief Oral History Committee Report updating the delegates on recent oral histories conducted during the convention with Norm Tuck, Greg Mitre, and William Proctor.

See you next year

The 56^th annual PCPA convention will be hosted next year in San Francisco.

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