Craig Merrilees
Craig Merrilees has worked on diverse campaigns for labor, environmental and human rights organizations during the past four decades. He currently serves as Communications Director for the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU). Previously he directed a 16,000-member affiliate of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Workers (AFSCME), and served as a Communications Coordinator for the Teamsters Union reform administration in Washington, D.C. Merrilees co-directed the national field campaign that battled for for labor and environmental standards in the NAFTA trade agreement. He served as a media consultant for hundreds of grassroots environmental activists affiliated with the National Toxics Campaign who organized against dangerous incinerators, power plants and pesticides. In Chicago, he managed city-wide campaigns with Illinois Public Action for utility reform, urban transit, housing and other issues. In California, he’s staffed political campaigns, including four statewide ballot propositions that addressed environmental, education, health care and human rights issues. Other political action assignments include serving as Northern California Director of the Campaign for Economic Democracy (CED) where he helped coordinate electoral and advocacy efforts with local governments and the State Legislature. Merrilees has also worked as a writer, producer, reporter and political analyst for television, radio and print news outlets. He and his work have appeared on The Today Show, Good Morning America, the CBS Evening News, NBC Nightly News and PBS NewsHour – along with profiles in The Wall Street Journal and other publications. He has testified before committees in Congress, state legislatures, local governments and has been a featured speaker at major universities and law schools. He was appointed to serve on California’s Marine Protected Areas Advisory Committee for the North Central Region, and whenever possible, rides his bicycle to work across the Golden Gate Bridge and enjoys backpacking the John Muir Trail.
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