Resolutions Adopted by ILWU Local 5

Sanctuary Union Resolution

The following resolution was adopted by a unanimous vote at the ILWU Local 5 General Membership Meeting on May 20, 2025:

Whereas, ILWU Local 5 has consistently defended migrant workers, recognizing the contribution of migrant workers to the quality of social, cultural, political, and economic life in the United States; and

Whereas, migrant workers are a central part of labor, vital to our labor organizations, and their rights are inseparable from those of the rest of the working class; and

Whereas, U.S. government leaders have stirred up racist, anti-migrant hatred, threatening the mass deportation of millions of undocumented workers, turning struggling U.S.-born workers against their migrant neighbors, rather than against the billionaire class; and

Whereas, anti-migrant violence is on the rise; and

Whereas, these attacks, either from the government or from groups of racist individuals, pose a danger to workers everywhere; and

Whereas, employers hire undocumented migrants at low pay, even below minimum wage, use them to keep all workers' wages down and to divide and bust unions, and threaten to have them deported if they complain or try to organize; and

Whereas, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents are raiding and arresting migrants, on the flimsiest of pretexts, with no regard for how long they've lived in the U.S, how dependent their families are upon them, or the ties they have with their communities; and

Whereas, a union is a self-defense organization for the working class as a whole; an injury to one is an injury to all; and it is the duty of unions to defend our fellow workers against oppression and racist attacks; and

Whereas, ILWU Local 5 is committed to ensuring that our Union is a safe and welcoming place for all our members, their families, and for our communities, regardless of their immigration status; and

Whereas, many cities such as Portland, have declared themselves Sanctuary Cities, and universities and schools such as Portland State University and Portland Public Schools, Sanctuary Campuses, where officials have vowed not to volunteer the immigration status of their residents, workers, or students, nor to cooperate with ICE.

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that ILWU Local 5 declares itself a "Sanctuary Union," that will protect the rights and safety of all of our members, their families, and the communities we proudly serve, regardless of their immigration status; and

Be it further resolved that ILWU Local 5 will not voluntarily cooperate with federal agents in the arrest, prosecution, or attempted deportation of our members, their families, or our community members; and

Be it further resolved that ILWU Local 5 will not collect immigration status information from our members, their families, or our community members that may be used against them, to the extent allowed by law; and

Be it further resolved that ILWU Local 5 declares support for Sanctuary Cities and Sanctuary Campuses; and

Be it further resolved that ILWU Local 5 calls on our union leadership to collectively bargain contract language that strengthens workplace protections for migrant members; and

Be it further resolved that ILWU Local 5 will, to the best of our ability, facilitate and/or host trainings for legal observation of ICE activity, accompaniment to mandatory immigration proceedings, and others to act in solidarity with migrant workers and community members; and

Be it further resolved that ILWU Local 5 will continue to build alliances in the community with others engaged in similar work, to protect the undocumented, and participate in labor-led protests in response to ICE raids or employer collaboration for the sake of union-busting; and 

Be it finally resolved that this resolution be forwarded to other labor unions and associations for concurrence.