ILWU Update

Dear All,

Negotiations between the PMA and the ILWU are continuing  - topics remain
focused on healthcare at this time, with all operational and jurisdictional
issues still to be discussed.  While it may seem that the negotiations are
moving nowhere fast, we are reminded that the progress of these negotiations
are not that dissimilar from that of 2008 and 2002. 

All West Coast marine terminals remain operational with only relatively
minor local troubles which are not part of any negotiating pressure directed
by the ILWU leadership.  The one big exception is at Oakland where the local
leadership is taking matters into their own hands, causing disruptions to
further their own cause, taking advantage of the industry’s inability to
arbitrate these job actions.  PMA is closely monitoring ILWU job actions in
Oakland and is working through numerous channels to minimize the impact.
 Nevertheless, it is likely that the troubles in Oakland will continue to
disrupt operations and that operations could further deteriorate in the
weeks ahead.   We will continue to monitor and advise on this matter under
separate emails to the relevant parties.

Have a good rest of your week.

Sincerely,
Bill Marston
Service Shipping Inc.
1550 E Higgins Road, Suite 108
Elk Grove Village IL 60007
Office: 847-427-1775
Fax: 847-427-1790
www.serviceshipping.com

ILWU Update

The International Longshore and Warehouse Union and U.S. West Coast waterfront employers have agreed to take a 72-hour break from negotiations to allow the union to attend “an unrelated negotiation” in the Pacific Northwest.

The six-year contract, which expired July 1, was be extended during the break from 8 a.m. today and through Saturday, the ILWU and Pacific Maritime Association said in a terse statement released last night. The announcement came hours after the Teamsters union protested outside marine terminals at the Los Angeles-Long Beach port complex, raising fears, which proved unfounded yesterday, that protestors would erect picket lines and the longshoremen would refuse to cross the lines.

The brief contract extension, "is good news, as it will continue all the terms of the existing contract, will limit the ability of any of the Locals to take their own job actions, and will allow the PMA to seek arbitration if the ILWU Local in LA seeks to honor Teamster pickets this week," Peter Friedmann, counsel to the Council of New England Companies for Trade, said in an email this morning. 

According to the statement: "The parties have agreed to take a 72-hour break from negotiations on a new coast-wide contract while the ILWU attends to an unrelated negotiation taking place in the Pacific Northwest. During this break, starting at 8 a.m. on Tuesday, July 8, through 8 a.m. on Friday, July 11, the parties have agreed to extend the previous six-year contract, which expired last week. The PMA and ILWU are negotiating a new contract covering nearly 20,000 longshore workers at 29 West Coast ports."

Cargo operations at the busiest ports in the nation continued unimpeded yesterday despite Teamsters’ threats of an “indefinite strike” against three harbor trucking companies. The Teamsters protestors distributed flyers accusing harbor trucking companies of misclassifying drivers, but they didn’t block access to the terminals.