Dockworker Strikes in Durban, San Francisco Bay Area, and Beyond

Often missed in commentary on today’s globalizing economy, workers in the world’s ports can harness their role, by withholding their labor at a strategic choke point, to promote their rights and social justice causes. Peter Cole’s recent book Dockworker Power: Race and Activism in Durban and the San Francisco Bay Area brings such overlooked experiences to light in his comparative study. Dockworkers in each port city drew on longstanding radical traditions to promote racial equality. Moreover, their commitment to black internationalism and leftist politics sparked transnational work stoppages to protest apartheid and authoritarianism. Charmaine Chua, an activist and scholar of logistics, will offer her unique perspective on Cole’s book as well as her own research on this pivotal industry. Stacey Rodgers, an Oakland native and rank-and-file activist in ILWU Local 10 will discuss her union’s history along with her role in the May Day 2015 stop work action against racist police brutality.