4,000 TRADE UNIONISTS PARTICIPATING in an international labor solidarity rally in Tokyo, Japan on Sunday, November 7, marched from Hibiya Park. The demonstration was initiated by Doro-Chiba (www.doro-chiba.org/english), the militant Japanese railway union, and attracted workers from around Japan, the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions and members of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union from the U.S. West Coast. The rally was called to protest the war in Iraq, re-militarization of Japan, WTO-style government privatization measures which are devastating jobs and repressive government legislation which shackles workers in their attempts to struggle to defend their rights, their jobs, and their unions.

On the way to Tokyo Station, they passed headquarters of Kyo-ya Corporation, the global hotel owners who have used Hawaii hotel workers to scab against San Francisco hotel workers while they are locked out in a bitter contract dispute . As marchers stopped in front of Kyo-ya, members of the ILWU Local 10-initiated Million Worker March Committee (www.millionworkermarch.org)  led them in chanting: "Kyo-ya end the lockout of U.S. hotel workers!" "Stop union-busting!" "Health Care is a right for all! Support the hotelworkers' union contract" "Victory to the hotelworkers in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Washington and Hawaii!" 

The next day, Monday November 8, the MWM organized a picket of some 50 trade unionists in front of Kyo-ya headquarters and its adjoining hotel where they chanted "Check out!". Doro-Chiba President Tanaka Yasuhiro handed the nervous management team a letter demanding the hotel owner stop the union-busting use of scabs and the lockout and negotiate a decent contract for hotel workers or face continued solidarity actions.

Jack Heyman
ILWU Local 10 Representative