Start your day with a roundup of B.C.-focused news and opinion delivered straight to your inbox at 7 a.m., Monday to Friday. Westshore is described as the largest coal export terminal on the west coast of North America, taking coal from B.C., Alberta, as well as the Powder River Basin and Montana. Negotiations between the PMA and ILWU are delicate at the best of times, and these are not the best of times. What do you think dock workers should be fighting for? The union, which represents an estimated 20,000 dockworkers at 29 ports in California, Oregon, and Washington, has not conducted contract negotiations with the PMA since 2014. The stock market is down 15% so far this year, inflation is skyrocketing, and energy prices are so high that the unemployed can't afford the commute if they accept a job. More news, fewer ads: Our in-depth journalism is possible thanks to the support of our subscribers. The PMA also alluded to the fear in the industry that contract negotiations could lead to disruptions for carriers at ports that are already overwhelmed by the surge in imports. By clicking Sign Up, I confirmthat I have read and agreeto the Privacy Policy and Terms of Service. Peering south down the Mobile River on Thursday, Feb. 28, 2019. Concern over the lingering talks has prompted what Seroka called a huge segment of cargo to head for other ports on the Gulf and East coasts. Westshores vice-president and general manager, Glenn Dudar, did not reply to Postmedia. "We've been trying, since July, to get a contract with the PMA," saidlongshoreman Keith Shanklin. Start your day with Sunrise, a roundup of B.C. If you purchase a product or register for an account through one of the links on our site, we may receive compensation. 07 Jun, 2022. Stevedores and other members of the Longshoremen's Protective Union Local 1953 have notified the Minister of Labour that it will be conducting a strike vote in their dispute with the St. John's Shipping Association. It wholly owns the subsidiary Westshore Terminals Limited Partnership, which runs the terminal. While some of them still do the heavy, physical jobs of traditional shipping, the lion's share of this industry was changed, some seventy years ago, with the advent of containerization and the growth of intermodal transportation. On July 1, the date of the contract expiration, another joint statement confirmed: While there will be no contract extension, cargo will keep moving, and normal operations will continue at the ports until an agreement can be reached between the Pacific Maritime Association and the International Longshore and Warehouse Union. In other words, the ILWU is keeping workers on the job without even a formal contract extension, meaning that from a legal standpoint dockworkers are no longer bound by a no-strike clause in the previous contract. By continuing to use our site, you agree to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. Shippers often lobby, even beg, for these contract negotiations to start early, well before the current contract expires. The current agreement expires at 5pm on 1 July and both sides have warned a new agreement will not be reached in time. We invite you to use our commenting platform to engage in insightful conversations about issues in our community. The Longshoremen's Protective Union is expressing disbelief after learning that its employer, the St. John's Shipping Association, has filed an application seeking "essential service" designation for the work they do. We take care of each other when we see new people come in, we watch out for them; when we get to the dock we get on the same crane as them to help them out, give them a heads up on the radio if theyre doing something they shouldnt. It used to be that a dockworker would be the union president. The Journal of Commerce, a trade industry publication, was the first to report the hitch this week. On Friday, union membership voted to proceed with the strike at a special meeting. Photo by John Schreiber. A port workers union is shifting a planned work stoppage to daytime hours June 20 at the already-congested Port of Oakland in California, just days before the expiration of the union's contract. He had. Could congestion that plagued West Coast ports in 2021 actually get worse in 2022? Nothing odd there. No new talks, in fact, had been scheduled for October, though there are hopes they will resume next month, according to a source with ties to the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, who requested anonymity because the two negotiating parties have agreed to not publicly discuss the talks. The media blackout on the negotiations between the ILWU and Pacific Maritime Association (PMA) has been temporarily lifted, with a joint release saying the talks are continuing and both sides are committed to finding agreement. In 2021, our training programs added more than 850 registered longshore workers, mechanics and marine clerks. The reason that 14,000 longshoremen were able to take on the shipping industry is that they are an indispensable part of the supply chain; they are the gatekeepers of 29 ports that together unload . Three years later, union members voted to accept a three-year extension for the contract to July 1, 2022, in exchange for increases in wages and pensions while maintaining health benefits at current levels. Originally, it would've expired in 2019, but the majority of ballots cast by ILWU members favored the extension in exchange for a wage and pension increase. Unfortunately, in this case, virtually all the problems are caused by the very positions on which this regime is doubling down. Which are more precarious, post-Flexport cuts: 'digital' or 'traditional' forwarders? (John Sharp/jsharp@al.com). And of all the indelicate, inopportune times and places to choose for this speech, he headed to the busiest, most important seaport in the Americas, twenty days before the deadline crashes down on the most delicate labor negotiation of the year. We apologize, but this video has failed to load. Their employers are a similarly mixed bag of organizations the port terminals, the steamship lines, the warehouses and logistics conglomerates that either own their own berths or are contracted by city and state port authorities to operate public berths. In May, shortly before talks began, optimism ran high that the negotiations would go smoothly. Instead of the backbreaking work of hand-loading crates, drums, and boxes on and off the deck and hold of a ship, the vast majority of ILWU members are now involved in directing machinery such as gantry cranes to swing 20' and 40' shipping containers from ship to shore and back again. The fact that the PMA includes local American terminals and warehousing businesses, too trucking companies and railroads as well. When talks began on May 10, both parties agreed not to discuss negotiation details with the media. With the contentious issues of automated cargo handling, wages and benefits, few thought this years contract talks between dockworkers and employers would be quick or easy. The news came just hours before the nation's busiest ocean trade gateway in Los Angeles, which employs the lion's share of West Coast port workers, reported near record imports for May. Work at the docks? The Maritime Executive. Some experts have speculated that the ILWA might open the new talks seeking rollbacks on some of its prior automation concessions. The narrowing spread between East and West coast spot rates in the eastbound trans-Pacific comes as spot rates to the East Coast have fallen by 18 percent over the past six weeks while West Coast rates have ticked slightly higher. What are conditions like at your work place? 365 Bloor Street East, Toronto, Ontario, M4W 3L4. All quotes delayed a minimum of 15 minutes. Last weekend, Spain's search and rescue agency attempted to save the crew of a French sailing yacht that had suffered a bizarre and shocking casualty off Gran Canaria. Demonize the steamship lines, and introduce bills in Congress to punish them for everything that's outside of their control. I took the online safety training thing. Make your voice heard! by Chris Jennewein May 10, 2022 Container shipping operations at Pier 300 at the Port of Los Angeles. The company on Friday in a statement that the work stoppage will result in a complete suspension of operations at the terminal.. The price hikes of the past two years cannot fairly be blamed on the shipping lines but that doesn't stop a man who knows nothing about the economy in general, or about the transportation industry in particular. The current contract between the two . Ocean carriers find a way to deploy their expanding fleets, Hapag-CMA deal sees re-emergence of cross-alliance slot chartering, Carriers take short-term rate hit and eye post-CNY demand surge. The two sides have negotiated West Coast collective bargaining agreements since the 1930s and work stoppages have historically been rare. Dockworkers on the Pacific coast of the United States, represented by the International Longshore and Warehouse Union, are gearing up for a fierce debate as their contract nears expiry, according to various reports.With more than 22,000 workers tending to many of the busiest ports in the world, is it possible that a disruption in service could affect American agriculture? Westshore Terminals Investment Corp has a market cap of $1.86 billion. June 11, 2022 Biden Whips Up the Longshoremen as Strike Fears Rise By John F. Di Leo Joe Biden went to the port of Los Angeles on Friday, June 10, to make a speech about the economy. You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked. We take the slack that other [A and B Class] workers dont want. I dont find it unreasonable so long as whatever is agreed upon gets backdated., Jamie was a union member all her life, until now, since a casual cannot be an ILWU member. 2023 Vancouver Sun, a division of Postmedia Network Inc. All rights reserved. Browse an unrivalled portfolio of real-time and historical market data and insights from worldwide sources and experts. One survivor was rescued, and one deceased crewmember was recovered along with the vessel after a 19-hour marathon response. There have long been ILWU members who fly into work on their own private planes. This website uses cookies to personalize your content (including ads), and allows us to analyze our traffic. Now they hire a guy. Speaking of American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten making $540,000 a year, he commented, And the teachers arent making anything! Since May 10, 2022, labor negotiations have been ongoing between the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU), which represents more than 22,000 West Coast port workers, and the Pacific Maritime Association (PMA), which represents port terminals and ocean carriers. He either doesn't understand, or doesn't care, that the steamship lines' costs have skyrocketed because of government port closures due to the COVID lockdowns, completely out of their control. It's a fair assertion that a West Coast port closure and a national rail strike, would quickly return the U.S. to the bad old days of the supply chain crisis, perhaps even worse. Training programs A similar impasse would have severe consequences for trans-Pacific shipments to the USWC and potential knock-on effects for the global container shipping industry. The parties remain focused on and committed to reaching an agreement.. What Happens if the Dockworkers Strike? The Biden administration has been watching the process carefully. The Maritime Executive. In late November, the PMA made a formal request for a one-year contract extension, citing on-going supply In a good year, past port strikes have caused painful supply chain delays lasting six months or more. And every one of them is on tenterhooks right now, as they count down the days until the expiration of the current labor contract on June 30. Where were the biggest dips? Longshore and warehouse union on strike, suspending operations at Delta coal terminal Westshore is described as the largest coal export terminal on the west coast of North America, taking coal. The nation's supply chain issues have raised enough concerns that the Biden administration has stepped in to assist. "This one day disruption, basically takes us a week to recover from," said Aboudi. Donna Littlejohn received a bachelor's degree (double major) in journalism and political science from California State University, Long Beach, and began her career in daily journalism with the San Pedro News-Pilot, transferring to The Daily Breeze staff in 1998 after the San Pedro publication closed. Please try again. The ILWU, founded 85 years ago and led for some 40 years by the notorious communist labor organizer Harry Bridges, is the sole negotiator for those 15,000 closed-shop employees. For decades, the ILWU has made one concession after another on automation, beginning in earnest in 1960 through the Mechanization and Modernization agreement and continued in recent years in 2002, 2008 and 2014-15. $ 1.86 billion and both sides have warned a new agreement will not reached! Recovered along with the vessel after a 19-hour marathon response Dockworkers strike and introduce in! 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