[Dryerase] The Alarm!--PMA lockout

[The Alarm!Newswire]

PMA locks out longshore workers

By Fhar Miess
The Alarm! Newspaper Collective

In a move that could have wide ramifications for everyone from patrons 
of stores like Target and Wal-Mart to itinerant workers hopping freight 
trains to their next job, the Pacific Maritime Association (PMA) on 
September 29 locked out 10,500 members of the International Longshore 
and Warehouse Union (ILWU), indefinitely shutting down all 29 West 
Coast ports in what it called a “defensive shutdown.”  Traffic through 
the ports accounts for billions of dollars worth of trade daily, and 
serves retailers such as Target, Wal-Mart and Home Depot.  Union 
Pacific Railroad announced cancellation of all traffic of international 
marine containers billed for West Coast port destinations.  A 
representative of the California Trucking Association has estimated 
some 10,500 to 12,000 truck drivers were being told to stay home 
because there is no work so long as the PMA keeps the docks shut.

The PMA locked out longshore workers in response to what it considers 
slowdowns:  deliberate reductions in productivity on the docks, often 
used by the union to gain leverage in contract negotiations.  The union 
denied the charge, claiming that members were simply instituting 
agreed-upon safety procedures to prevent the sort of work environment 
that resulted in the deaths of five ILWU members in the past seven 
months.  In union-speak, this is called “work to rule,” where workers 
will perform work exactly as they are obliged to according to union 
contracts, safety rules or government regulations.  Since those rules 
are generally not strictly adhered to, this practice results in an 
inevitable reduction in industrial efficiency.

The PMA originally locked out workers on September 28 and opened the 
ports again on the morning of the next day after negotiations, but by 
noon most workers on the West Coast were again ordered off the job 
after the PMA charged that many work positions remained unfilled and 
productivity was at 54% of normal.  The San Francisco Chronicle quoted 
Richard Mead, president of the ILWU Local 10, as saying, “they wanted 
us to come back like we were going to be good little puppy dogs.  It 
doesn’t work like that on the waterfront.”

The coastwise contract between ILWU originally expired on July 1 but 
was renewed on a daily basis until talks broke down September 1.  ILWU 
members remained on the job, but the PMA remained intransigent on the 
issue of technology and retention of union jobs in its implementation, 
despite significant offers by ILWU negotiators, leading finally to this 
weekend’s lockout.

The union agreed to meet with the PMA and Federal Mediation and 
Conciliation Services (FMCS) head Peter Hurtgen on Tuesday, but walked 
out of negotiations when the PMA negotiating team showed up guarded by 
armed security personnel.  Hurtgen chastized the PMA characterizing 
their behavior as “inappropriate and a breach of bargaining protocol.”

In a burst of rhetorical fancy, ILWU International President Jim 
Spinosa declared, “This shows how they approach negotiations, hiding 
behind the government and armed thugs. PMA’s lockout is holding a gun 
to the head of the American economy and now they move to aim real guns 
at us. We will not be intimidated by these kinds of tactics and we will 
never reach an agreement as long as the PMA acts as if it can force a 
settlement at gun point rather than negotiate.”

President Bush has urged the parties to resolve the dispute quickly to 
avoid the severe impact on the US economy and national security that 
results from the port closures.  He has previously threatened the use 
of the 1947 Taft-Hartley Act to force workers back to the job or to 
send trained Navy workers to the docks to replace the 10,500 union 
members.

ILWU Local 23 in Tacoma, Washington, has offered to continue loading 
ships with cargo destined for Alaska because of the large amount of 
basic necessities Alaskans receive by marine transport, much of it 
coming through the Port of Tacoma.  The union has also pledged to 
continue handling military cargo and passenger ships.  Cruise lines 
have resorted to bypassing the PMA in order to enlist the help of ILWU 
members in handling their ships, which ILWU members have offered to do 
free of charge.

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