In a show of solidarity on May 1st, a traditional day of activism for labor movements, 25 thousand members of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union stopped work at 29 ports along the West Coast to protest the war in Iraq. Workers called upon lawmakers to bring American troops home. The protest left many ports, including those in Seattle and Los Angeles, at a standstill.

Union leaders said that the decision to walk off the job did not come from the leadership but the rank and file members who decided to commemorate the day back in February. Still, ILWU President Bob McEllrath expressed support for the workers, saying, "We are supporting the troops and telling politicians in Washington that it's time to end the war in Iraq."

The work stoppage went on despite an independent hearing between the employers and the union where the arbitrator decided that union members had to report to work.

Responding to the walkout, Pacific Maritime Association spokesman Steve Getzug questioned the real motive behind the members’ decision. "Today's actions raised the question of whether this was an attempt to leverage contract negotiations," said Getzug. referring to the union contract that expires in two months. He went on to lament that the Association “thought these kinds of old tricks were a thing of the past."

May Day is globally noted as a day to honor labor movements, including the fight for an eight-hour work day. The holiday also commemorates the Haymarket riot, where many civilians and police officers lost their lives at a labor rally in Chicago in 1886.

Many officials doubt that the protest will dramatically affect operations or revenue. At the port in Los Angeles, only about 10 percent of truck drivers showed up to haul or unload freight. J. Craig Shearman, a spokesman for the National Retail Federation, said, "Shippers and exporters know about it and plan around it, and we don't expect to see any significant disruptions from it."