ILA South Atlantic and Gulf Coast District Convention Delegates and Two ILA Boards Endorse John Bowers for Reelection as ILA President;

    NEW YORK, July 31 /PRNewswire/ -- Delegates to the 83rd Convention of the
 South Atlantic and Gulf Coast District, International Longshoremen's
 Association, AFL-CIO, who met for four days last week in Charleston, South
 Carolina, unanimously endorsed John Bowers for reelection as International
 president of the union.
     Although his current term does not expire for 12 months, the Executive
 Council of the ILA and Executive Board of the union's Atlantic Coast District,
 which also met last week in Charleston, added their official endorsements for
 John Bowers' reelection as ILA president.  Mr. Bowers is entering the fourth
 and final year of his current term as ILA leader, a position he was first
 elected to in 1987 and reelected in 1991 and 1995.  The ILA's quadrennial
 convention -- when elections for all International offices will take place --
 is scheduled for July 1999 in Buena Vista, Florida.
     In addition to the Bowers' endorsement, delegates to last week's South
 Atlantic and Gulf Coast District reelected Benny Holland, Jr., to a third
 four-year term as District President and also returned to office the following
 District Executive officers: Reuben Wheatley, Executive Vice President; Clyde
 Fitzgerald, Secretary-Treasurer; and Perry C. Harvey, Jr., Assistant
 Secretary-Treasurer.
     At the District convention in Charleston, President Holland, who also
 serves as General Vice President for the International, continued with the
 convention theme of Partnership for Progress which he first introduced four
 years ago at the South Atlantic and Gulf Coast District convention in
 New Orleans and continued at the union's conclave in Lake Tahoe two years ago.
     His Partnership for Progress theme brought together leaders from the ILA;
 shipping employers; and representatives of Port Authorities from the Atlantic
 and Gulf Coast ports, to demonstrate the value of working together to create
 jobs for ILA members, maintain profits for the union's employers and protect
 the investments of Port Authorities.
     Mr. Bowers led a group of ILA speakers which also included Al Cernadas,
 Executive Vice President; Robert E. Gleason, Secretary-Treasurer; Gerald
 Owens, Assistant General Organizer; Harold J. Daggett, ACD Secretary-Treasurer
 and Richard P. Hughes, ACD General Vice President.
     David J. Tolan, Chairman of the Carriers Container Council, addressed
 convention delegates along with management representatives including James
 Capo, President of New York Shipping Association; C. Peter Lambos, Esq., NYSA
 General Counsel; and Bernard DeLury, Executive Director of the Carriers
 Container Council.
     A number of officials for Port Authorities on the Atlantic and Gulf Coasts
 also spoke at the convention.
     Sixteen District Vice Presidents and Executive Board members were returned
 to their respective offices during elections at the convention.  Those
 reelected from the South Atlantic region included: Arthur Coffey, Benjamin
 Flowers, Sr.; Clarence Pittman, Jr.; and Charles F. Spencer.  Those from the
 East Gulf region included: Donald Evans; Irvin Joseph; James McCleland, Jr.;
 Harry Mendoza; Ronald K. Robinson and John Tilton.  Reelected from the West
 Gulf region included: Randy Billingsley; Lash Chretien; Michael Dickens;
 Hillery Langley, Jr.; Andrew Lee Laws, Sr. and Jesse Revis.
     Jess R. Babich and Wilbert Rowell, both from the South Atlantic region,
 were newly elected as District Vice Presidents and Executive Board members.
 
 

SOURCE  International Longshoremen's Association, AFL-CIO