Dec 8, 2007 12:04 am US/Pacific
Workers Find Nooses Hanging At LA Ports
LONG BEACH (CBS) ―
-
-
The workers, members of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union, said they have found four nooses in the past two months hanging from rear- view mirrors or in the beds of vehicles.
AP
Dock workers at the Ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles marched outside the Pacific Maritime Association offices on Friday demanding an investigation into the discovery of nooses hanging from port vehicles.
The workers, members of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union, said they have found four nooses in the past two months hanging from rear- view mirrors or in the beds of vehicles.
"No human being in their right mind wants to see this on their job," said Eddie Jones, president of the Los Angeles Civil Rights Association. "It doesn't matter what color you are."
The workers, carrying photos of the nooses, marched outside of the
Maritime Association offices, demanding that the company take action. Some workers then tried to move en masse to the association's offices, but they were met by police officers threatening to make arrests.
In a statement, the Pacific Maritime Association said it was "vigorously pursuing the matter," which is called "misconduct by members of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union against their own colleagues."
"Racial harassment and discrimination are against the law and will not be tolerated on the waterfront," the statement said. "Our collective bargaining agreement with the ILWU, which governs workplace conduct, is clear in prohibiting discrimination and harassment and it lays out grievance process on the current matter as quickly as possible.
"Where warranted and possible, disciplinary action already has been taken or is being pursued."
(© 2009 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
Click to enlarge
Stumble It!
