We were proud to see our community, friends, and supporters join us at the picket lines from midnight October 1st to October 3rd, 2024 at the Bayport Terminal in Houston, Texas. One of our most passionate supporters was Texas District 147 Representative Jolanda Jones, who came out to voice her unwavering support for the longshoremen. As a firm advocate for unions and the rights of working people, Jones delivered a powerful message that resonates with all of us in this fight.
In her words:
“But I do represent union members, and unions built this country most times for insufficient wages. I’m here to support the longshoremen because they do work other people don’t want to do, and now they’re replacing people with robots? I’ve heard that they’ve cut 50% of the employees. People need, people WANT to have good jobs with benefits. They want to work. They want to provide valuable products and services to their communities, and it’s just wrong for whoever is replacing people with robots. Y’all need to stop it. You don’t want people like, committing crimes, but you want to fire people who are willing to work. And I’m a firm believer that if management does not support unions, they will crush the workers and the people that do the work that most people don’t want to do are the union workers, and so I drove out here to support the Longshoremen, because what the companies are doing to them is wrong. What it’s doing to their families is wrong. They want to work, allow them to work, stop replacing them with robots, and pay them a living wage with health benefits. Because they have families. And we need what they make. Thank you.”
We are incredibly grateful to Representative Jones for standing with us and speaking out against the harmful effects of automation on the workforce. The ILA will always fight to protect our workers’ livelihoods, ensuring that our jobs remain secure and that our communities continue to thrive.
Click here to watch the full video of Representative Jolanda Jones’ message of support.
You can read more about Representative Jones and her incredible accomplishments here:
https://house.texas.gov/members/4105/biography
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