Law Offices of Richard Mark Baker

Coming Soon... a Tribute to the ILWU Hall of Famer

Please join tomorrow’s candlelight vigil as we remember the Notorious RBG.

Rest in Power, Rep. John Lewis.

Labor unions to recognize black lives lost to police murder with 8:46 minutes work stoppage tomorrow.

Workers' rights are civil rights and civil rights are workers' rights. WILG, as an association dedicated to protecting the rights of injured workers, will forever fight for both.

Iron Workers Local 86 in Seattle helped clean up after the protests yesterday.

Today, the container vessel Wes Gesa, fully operated by Scabs in Lisbon, was blocked by Danish Dockers in support of the Lisbon Dockworkers, who are fighting to... get their jobs back! Always in solidarity! Don't Fuck my Job! An injury to one is an injury to All! If we are TOGETHER it's impossible to fail! We'll never walk alone! #InternationalSolidarity #Solidarity #Dockworkers #Dockers #Longshoremen #ProudBeDocker SEAL - Sindicato dos Estivadores e da Actividade Logística

ILWU Pensioners President Greg Mitre gives a special tribute to the fallen brothers of the ILWU Local 26 Watchmen’s Union and the Inland Boatsmen Union, the marine division of the ILWU at the 18th Annual ILWU Longshore Memoriam in San Pedro CA. #ILWU

ILWU Local 13 Health Benefits Officer Vivian Malauulu gives a personal remembrance in tribute to the fallen brothers during the 18th Annual ILWU Longshore Memoriam in San Pedro CA. #ILWU

ILA Local Presidents In New York and New Jersey Took Charge Early in COVID-19 Pandemic Securing PPE For Their Members; Prompt Actions Helped Keep ILA Workforce... In New York and New Jersey Protected NORTH BERGEN, NJ (May 13, 2020) Early in the COVID-19 Pandemic, as the general public’s concern over the spread of the Coronavirus was rising while availability of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) was dwindling, local presidents in the Port of New York and New Jersey assessed the situation and determined they needed to take immediate action. ILA members at port areas up and down the coast were working in close proximity to each other; were interacting with foreign container ship crews and outside truckers; and handling shared equipment - all potential hazards in the rapid spread of the Coronavirus. ILA members’ safety gear needs quickly expanded from just wearing hard hats, safety vests and metal tipped shoes. Beginning in late February, N-95 masks; protective gloves and hand sanitizers were highly sought-after items in New York and New Jersey that all workers who were performing critical jobs and services, needed to protect themselves and their co-workers. Initial appeals by ILA Local Presidents to secure PPE at local, state and federal levels only confirmed a dire situation developing. Government and health agencies were not able to supply enough PPE for doctors and nurses at many hospitals in New York and New Jersey. The ILA’s appeals for PPE supplies to the State Governments in Albany, New York and Trenton, New Jersey were not going to be met on a timely basis if at all. ILA members needed PPE immediately and ILA local presidents took charge. Brandon Garcia, the president of ILA Local 1235; Buddy Smith the president of ILA Local 1233; David Cicalese, the president of ILA Local 1, all based in Newark, New Jersey; Virgil Maldonado, the president of ILA Local 1588 based in Bayonne, New Jersey and Dennis A. Daggett, the president of ILA Local 1804-1 from North Bergen, New Jersey, recognized immediately that if hospital workers and other first responders such as Emergency Medical Technician Crews; police and firemen were scrambling to find PPE supplies, then it was up to them to find PPE supplies on their own. On the New York side, ILA Local 920 (Staten Island), Local President Mike Izzo was able to secure 600 face masks early in the Pandemic that he was able to distribute to each of his members, plus ILA Checkers and Maintenance members working in Staten Island. ILA Local 920 President Izzo was able to supply employers with masks and even donated 100 masks to Staten Island South Hospital. John Cuozzo, President of ILA Local 1478-2; Frank Agosta, President of ILA Local 1814 and Ron Misiti, President of ILA Local 824 joined in efforts to secure masks for their members. Dennis Daggett, Dave Cicalese, Buddy Smith and I, along with all ILA Locals in our Port took the initiative, said ILA Local 1235 leader Brandon Garcia. We were in daily conversations with each other and understood it was our responsibility to protect our members. We recognized it as our duty to protect our ILA members. Every ILA person working in our industry, whether they are a checker, a longshore worker or maintenance workers are heroes to me, and they deserve to be protected, said Dave Cicalese, the president of ILA Local 1. Due to the strong support of our local ILA members for their leadership, we were able to make quick and vital decisions early in this COVID-19 pandemic to seek out private vendors to order protective without going through a lot of red tape. We not only supplied ILA members, but our employers as well, continued Cicalese. And we’re still doing it and management is now supplementing our PPE supplies with theirs. Buddy Smith, the president of Local 1233 credits the strong working relationships all ILA locals in the Port of New York and New Jersey have with each other to responding to the PPE crisis immediately and successfully. Jointly we answered the call much sooner and more successfully than if each local attempted to secure supplies on their own, Smith said. I let Dennis Daggett know early in the crisis that I had found a vendor that could supply our ILA members with protective masks, and we acted immediately. Dennis Daggett, the International’s Executive Vice President in addition to leading ILA Local 1804-1 as its president, said the early actions by his fellow ILA Local leaders in the Port of New York and New Jersey to take charge of securing PPE supplies has allowed ILA members there to be protected; help keep the number of COVID-19 infected members down, and kept the Port open and commerce moving. ILA members are America’s heroes, we cannot say that enough, Local 1804-1 President Daggett said. Without their support and with solid leadership among the ILA Locals in the Port of New York and New Jersey, it’s possible we could have seen a port shut down. It was natural for our ILA members to be concerned about contracting the Coronavirus at the port and bringing it home to their loved ones. By providing them with PPE, they felt secure enough to keep working and keeping our port open, continued Daggett. Added Local 1 President Cicalese: ILA members are doing something above and beyond what the average American is doing. ILA members in Bayonne were supplied face masks and hand sanitizer in late March as their Local 1588 President Maldonado secured this PPE for his membership. President Maldonado and his office manager, Brenda Eagle, scoured area stores to buy up as much hand sanitizer as they could find. The local’s Secretary-Treasurer Mark Santoro was able to secure latex gloves, even bagging them in zip lock bags for contactless distribution. All the while ILA Local 1588 was sharing its PPE with other ILA Local members as well. Lending financial support to help the ILA in New York and New Jersey purchase PPE was the ILA District Council of New York and New Jersey, led by its president, Charles Ward. PPE supplies continued to be ordered. To date, ILA Locals in the Port of New York and New Jersey have provided its members over 160,000 surgical masks; 50,000 K-95 masks; 30,000 pairs of Nitro gloves; 15,000 face coverings and scores of 50-gallon hand sanitizers. Information is Power and many of these same ILA leaders who secured PPE supplies early in the Pandemic also help create an informational Facebook Page ILA Ports of NY & NJ Covid 19 Information that provided honest, detailed and daily information about the supply of PPE and also what other safety measures were being taken (sanitizing equipment; COVID-19 infections and quarentines, etc.) to protect the ILA workplace. The Facebook information page has proved to be a valuable tool for ILA members. The PPE supplies secured by ILA locals have been supplemented by donations for NYSA, Metro and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. From the outset, ILA Employers led by John Nardi, President of New York Shipping Association and Joseph Ragusa, President of Metropolitan Marine Maintenance Contractors’ Association, Inc., have joined the ILA in efforts to secure PPE, sharing in the substantial expense. NYSA President Nardi this week has sent a letter to leadership in New York and New Jersey and the Federal Government seeking help in funding PPE supplies. In his appeal, President Nardi characterized the work of ILA, NYSA and Metro as extraordinary. I’m reaching out on behalf of my client, the New York Shipping Association (NYSA) to share with you some of the extraordinary work quietly taking place to support front line workers and keep our economy moving, and why they will need your support going forward. The members of the NYSA and our partners in the supply chain, namely the International Longshoremen’s Association, Metropolitan Marine Contractors Association and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey are seeking federal and state help to shoulder additional costs tied to constantly cleaning facilities, investing in personal protective equipment (PPE), non-contact temperature checks, as well as weathering the impact of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) on cargo volumes, Nardi wrote. NYSA members and its partners in the port, while operating in the most impacted region of the United States in this pandemic, have never faltered to keep the nation’s supply chain moving and bringing in critical supplies including personal protective equipment, testing reagents, food, and other goods to sustain the essential economy and those isolating at home. This video created by the ILA highlights what they and their partners have been doing to support each other during this time, Nardi added, including the link to an ILA produced Thank You video. No one is certain when this COVID-19 Pandemic will end but ILA members in the Port of New York and New Jersey continue the brave task of showing up for work each day, keeping commerce moving across the Greater Metropolitan area and protected with the strong support and admiration of their ILA local leadership. If other ILA Locals or District Councils would like to share how they have responded to supplying members with PPE, please email Jim McNamara at the ILA [email protected] to share your story.

For the first time in a long time, Sacramento has done something good for injured workers. Designated essential workers, men & women not allowed to stay home, who contract covid 19, will be presumed to have contracted the disease at work. So, instead of having to prove that their work caused their illness and disability, their employers will have to prove that their work did NOT make them sick. Thank you Governor Newsom!

ILA First Responders In Port of Philadelphia & Wilmington Boosting Spirits of Doctor and Nurses First Responders at Jefferson and Pennsylvania Hospitals Hats o...ff to Dan Dugan, President; Bobby Eels, Business Agent; Brian Witiw, Secretary-Treasurer of ILA Local 1566 in the Port of Philadelphia and Wilmington and all ILA Local members from ILA Local 1566, who brightened the spirits and satisfied the appetites of Doctors and Nurses at Jefferson and Pennsylvania Hospitals. Up and down the coast, the International Longshoremen’s Association, AFL-CIO recognizes the courage, commitment and bravery of this nation’s doctors and nurses and other hospital personnel who are caring for the hundreds of thousands of COVID-19 infected victims. And the nation is understanding that ILA members, like those at Local 1566, are also keeping the goods flowing in this country, specifically PPE; supplies and food. Thank you ILA Local 1566 Members. See more

https://www.freightwaves.com//us-import-plunge-inevitable-

With Eye Toward Protecting Container Royalty and MILA Benefits and Eligibility During COVID-19 Pandemic, ILA’s Dennis Daggett Spells Out Why "Hazard Pay Could ...Threaten Industry’s Financial Stability NORTH BERGEN, NJ (April 21, 2020). Today, ILA Executive Vice President Dennis A. Daggett addressed the issue of ILA employers paying workforce hazard pay during COVID-19 Pandemic. Responding to inquiries he received from posts on the ILA New York-New Jersey Covid-19 Information Facebook Page and telephone calls, Daggett addressed the issue straight on in a statement, saying that while ILA leadership would welcome hazard pay if funds were available, the union leadership must first protect its Container Royalty Funds and MILA Health Care Benefits which directly affects tens of thousands of ILA members and their families. Daggett said the ILA leadership was carefully monitoring the financial health of all its employers saying that the carriers are feeling a lot of pain right now. Dennis Daggett’s full statement follows: Questions regarding Hazard Pay We have seen a few comments, and have received calls regarding possible hazard pay. For those of you who don’t know me, I try to be a big picture guy, and study every possible scenario. First off, for some reason we always seem to be on the losing side in the court of public opinion. Did you ever read the comments at the bottom of an article that is written about the ILA? It’s sad how a lot of the public view us and really have no idea what it is we do. Most people have no idea how the products they buy get to stores. Most people have no idea how dangerous our industry is and how skilled you have to be. Just show someone outside of our industry the Straddle yard at Maher during a ship operation and watch their face. Most people can’t believe it. They usually say, it looks like something out of Star Wars. The public has been reading and watching on TV the heroism from our health care workers. These Healthcare workers are in the trenches risking their health being in direct contact with infected patients. I recently lost my Aunt who was in a nursing home and some of the staff had no PPE and yet going to work every day and not asking for a dollar more. We all have been blessed to be a part of a very lucrative industry, but believe me the carriers are feeling a lot of pain right now. Ships are being laid up, and we are seeing blank sailings on the ship’s schedules. The Port of Virginia has had to close one terminal due to the impact of COVID and we were just notified that there will be 40 blank sailings in the next two months. MSC offsets a lot of their cost with their Cruise business and by now everyone knows what’s going in the cruise industry. CMA is also having major cash flow problems and just sold off $800 million of their interests in Terminals throughout the World to get their hands on some cash. I raise this because sometimes we believe, myself included, that this industry just has a bottomless pit. Do I think we should get it? My initial reaction was yes until I looked at other areas that are affecting ILA members coastwise. This is what we are concerned about: Container Royalty Projections are down at least 10% as of now. The longer this pandemic continues we will see that percentage go up with blank sailings, consolidation of cargo, and lighter ships. MILA Eligibility Looking at the coastwide impact on man hours this could potentially be the biggest problem. Will most people qualify for the level of benefits they are accustomed to receiving? These are two major issues that will need to be addressed after this pandemic is over. I believe we need to weigh our options. Hazard pay would be great, don’t get me wrong, but the amount of money we could be potentially talking about here in regard to Container Royalty and MILA benefits could be astronomical Coastwise. Thankfully in 2011 we negotiated a floor on Container Royalty so that if something like COVID occurs we are guaranteed the 2011 numbers plus the additional 16 million dollars that is owed to us in the current contract. I bring this to your attention because it’s important to us that you know we are monitoring this situation closely and making sure our assessments are paid on time, and that we are carefully looking at every scenario so when it’s time we will do everything in our Power to make sure we make the right decision for the majority of our membership. It looks like there will have to be some serious negotiating after we get through this crisis.

CA: Nurses Applaud Introduction of Emergency COVID-19 Bill to Protect RNs, First Responders, and Health Care Workers http://ow.ly/Edq650zkJV3 National Nurses United #workcomp #protectinginjuredworkers #presumption #covid19 #firstresponders #california

Amazing 70's Movie About Longshoreman You HAVE to bookmark this video it's rare!

https://www.freightwaves.com//port-of-oakland-joins-corona

Union Plus salutes all the longshore laborers, truckers, and warehouse laborers who are working so diligently to keep vital supplies moving across the country. #WeSaluteYou #1u

Thank You Charles Montgomery! #ILASTRONGLOBALPOWER

Keep calm, cargo is coming! While most will be ordered to be on lock down. The Men and Women of the ILWU are working hard to get your goods unloaded. God bless our union. #putyourgloveson#laceupyourboots#letsgotowork

We received the following update from DWC Administrative Director George Parisotto in regard to IMR applications during the #COVID19 crisis. For the latest updates from CAAA, visit www.caaa.org/covid19.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) issued guidance on Thursday on critical industry workforce that should continue as the country addresses and resp...onds to the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak. U.S. food and agriculture was included among 16 critical industries. http://ow.ly/nFR650yRlBq #workcomp #workerscompensation #protectinginjuredworkers See more

"The Senate also voted 24-6 to pass SF 117...which would create an exemption to the state's prohibition on compensating mental injuries that are not accompanied by a physical injury." Read More: http://ow.ly/yajp50yxLrI #workcomp #protectinginjuredworkers #wyoming #ptsd

Thank you to ILWU Local 94 member Noel Bobadilla for sharing this special relic...

These workers have dangerous jobs and depend on skilled attorneys to help navigate them back to recovery. Get the skills they need you to have at our 2020 Longshore Conference in #NOLA Register TODAY at www.wilg.org/longshorecle . #workcomp #longshore #protectinginjuredworkers

We are asking for your help! In celebration of our 25th Anniversary we are trying to decide on our upcoming logo and we want your input! Please reply to this post if you like this version. Look for our other post for the other option! #workcomp #25thanniversary #celebrate #vote

We invite you to take a break from the work you do, and remind you to enjoy a day of fun in celebration of your accomplishments of the past year. We also want to keep in mind those who are not currently in the workforce due to a work related injury. We celebrate you, too.

Yes, America Is Rigged Against Workers No other industrial country treats its working class so badly. And there’s one big reason for that. Click the link for the full story. http://ow.ly/drSU50vpRFZ

There is a big battle at the Port of Los Angeles today, over what role working men and women have in an age of increasing automation. Our economy needs to work for working families. #ILWUStrong

On April 28, the unions of the AFL-CIO observe Workers Memorial Day to remember those who have suffered and died on the job and to renew the fight for safe jobs.