CONVENTION DELEGATES STRIKE DOWN "ONE MEMBER, ONE VOTE" RESOLUTION
Delegates to the 52nd Quadrennial Convention of the International Longshoremen's Association overwhelmingly rejected a resolution seeking to change the way elections are held in the ILA
11/07/2007

One Man/One Vote
As anticipated heading into the Convention, the issue of direct membership voting (one man/one vote) sparked intense debate from delegates on both sides of the issue.

Chaired by James H. Paylor, Jr., an International Vice President from the port of Philadelphia, the Constitution and Law Committee recommended that delegates reject a proposed resolution to establish direct membership voting for International and District officers.

Leonard Riley from Local 1422 (Charleston, SC) spoke out in favor of direct membership voting, noting that it is intended to encourage accountability of the officers to the area that elected them and which they are serving.

“Only those who are in the ports that are being represented by the International officers are really the ones who can speak to their qualifications,” said John Blom from Local 333 (Baltimore, MD), also speaking in support of the resolution.

Bill Yockey, an ACD Vice President and member of Local 2063 (Mackinac Island, MI) challenged these and other arguments supporting one man/one vote, “I defy you to tell me that a new member coming onto the docks knows what’s good for this organization.”

“The small locals that don’t have a lot of delegates will be disenfranchised,” warned Jack Humeniuk from Local 861 (Portland, ME), speaking against direct membership voting.

Similarly, Andre Joseph from Local 2038 (East Chicago, IN) met with great applause and cheers from the floor when he pointed out that with one man/one vote, the Great Lakes region would not have one single representative sitting among the International Officers on the dais.

“If you want one man/one vote, it’s a sure way to kill your vote,” he said.

After much debate and a roll call vote, the resolution was overwhelmingly rejected by a vote of 389.2 to 31.8.