SoCal port terminals reporting ILWU slow down
Southern California marine terminal operators are reporting that union dockworkers have engaged in 'work to rule' actions at the Long Beach-Los Angeles port complex, the nation's busiest.
The terminal operators, who refused to be identified due to the ongoing labor negotiations with the International Longshore and Warehouse Union over a West Coast waterfront labor contract, each reported similar incidents of union members taking long breaks, performing tasks at slower than normal paces, and starting shifts late and ending shifts early. Operators estimated that the slowdown actions are trimming up to two hours per shift from actual work time and reducing terminal productivity from 20 percent of 30 percent.
The Pacific Maritime Association, which represents 71 cargo carriers, terminal operators and stevedores in the ongoing contract talks with the ILWU, alleged Wednesday that dockworkers at the Southern California ports are instituting a 'work to rule' action that has reduced productivity at the Southern California terminals by 20 percent to 30 percent.
'Work to rule' is an industry term meaning union members are following the letter of the contract in their jobs. While many rules for terminal operation by ILWU members are spelled out under the contract, for example the speed at which yard hostlers can move within the terminal, in normal operations these rules are overlooked in the sake of productivity. According to the PMA, the ILWU drivers at Los Angeles-Long Beach terminals are adhering to the letter of the speed rules, slowing down yard traffic and decreasing terminal productivity.
The PMA has been in negotiations with the ILWU since March in an effort to reach a new labor pact covering the 26,000 union members serving 29 West Coast ports. The previous contract expired on July 1, however, regular negotiation sessions have continued and the ILWU has told its members officially to continue working as if the expired contract was still in effect.
Last weekend, the PMA raised concerns about ILWU members at the Southern California ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles taking coordinated mid-shift coffee breaks, essentially shutting down the terminals during the 15-minute periods. The ILWU leadership has called the actions a 'moderate and measured response by workers to the lengthy negotiations.'
'We have heard reports and we are aware of some accounts of these (slowdown) incidents,' ILWU spokesperson Craig Merrilees said today. 'Everybody knows that there is a lot of coffee being consumed on the docks in Los Angeles-Long Beach. It is understandable in terms of the individual frustration given that the talks began back in March.'
The terminal operators reported that while there is growing frustration with the situation, the consensus opinion is not to antagonize the dockworkers while regular contract negotiating sessions continue.
ILWU leadership has publicly warned members not to take independent 'wildcat' action that could endanger the negotiations.
'Let's respect the negotiating committee strategy and our elected union officials by discouraging talk about wildcats,' the union posted to on its Web site Wednesday. 'We're stronger when we stick together.'
ILWU President Bob McEllrath told delegates of a union caucus earlier this week that the talks were making progress, 'but it's going to take awhile longer before we have something ready for you.
'We're entering the final stage,' he said, 'where it's important to stay disciplined and take direction from the committee.'
Nearly a month ago, both sides reported surmounting a major hurdle in the talks with the initial approval by negotiators of a tentative health care benefit agreement. Maintaining the current health care package for its members was a stated primary goal of the ILWU's negotiating platform going into the talks.
While the health care benefit issue has been tentatively worked through, major topics to be addressed include wages, pensions and safety rules.
When asked if the ILWU envisions the 'work to rules' actions continuing, Merrilees answered, 'You can only drink so much coffee, and I wouldn't be surprised if there was a change (at the ports), especially when the dockers see that progress at the table is real.'
Leadership on both sides of the bargaining table have maintained that talks have been businesslike and cooperative, with none of the acrimonious bitterness characterizing the previous talks in 2002.
An aggressive offensive by the PMA to achieve contract concessions during the 2002 contract negotiations, further exacerbated by a union 'work to rules' slowdown, resulted in a 10-day PMA lockout of ILWU workers that cost the national economy upwards of $1 billion per day in losses.
'It important to remember that the ports are open, cargo is moving, dockers are on the job, companies are making money and progress is being made at the table,' Merrilees said. 'All together that is a pretty positive picture compared to where we were in 2002.'
' Keith Higginbotham