To My Union Brothers and Sisters

From the bottom of my heart, I believe that you are the greatest people on this planet and it has been a great honor to work beside you these last 14 years. Thank you for all the times you complimented me on my work, even though I never considered myself likely to set the world on fire with my ability to do Longshore work. Please never let anyone degenerate the honorable work that you do every day.

No workforce on earth can rival you. The way you take a great ship, discharge it, load it back, and send it back out to sea is truly a thing of beauty. You are worth every penny you are paid and more. The Bible says that the laborer is worthy of his hire.

None are more worthy than you brothers and sisters. Please always hold your heads high. Thank you for understanding the concept of "Union" and that when we are united we have a strength that cannot be defeated.

Let it be known to all the world that the ILWU, Longshore Division has always been and will always be a house built with strong backs of stronger men, and even though I was female, and never built a house, that I thank each and every man on the waterfront for allowing me the great privilege of working with them in the house that they built.

I hope that in the end, I lived and died in a manner be fitting a proper Longshoreman.