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Last Thursday, about 6,000 community members and International Longshore and Warehouse Union workers marched from the Vincent Thomas Bridge to the Maritime Museum to support hundreds of dockworkers at the Port of Los Angeles and Long Beach who are in the midst of contract talks with employers.
Los Angeles City Councilman Joe Buscaino organized the march — in reaction to the Pacific Maritime Association action last week that suspended night shifts for unloading ships in order to focus efforts on clearing cargo containers out of congested container yards. The decision affected more than 800 jobs, the ILWU said.
Buscaino, who represents the harbor area, said that cutting night shifts "is another step closer to a lockout" that would hurt residents and make port congestion worse.
"Nearly three months ago, the ILWU began a coordinated series of slowdowns intended to pressure employers to make concessions at the bargaining table," the PMA said in a statement Thursday. "Ever since, PMA and its members have worked hard to counter the growing backlog of cargo that threatens to bring our ports to gridlock."
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Photo credit: Stephen Carr/Daily Breeze
"In Southern California, the ILWU’s targeted slowdowns have severely worsened existing congestion by withholding the skilled workers who are most essential to clearing crowded terminals. All the while, cargo sits idle, the economic damage to our communities worsens and the reputation of West Coast ports is harmed."
Around 200 ILWU workers also rallied in Tacoma, Wash. on Thursday, saying they’re being unfairly scapegoated for slowdowns at West Coast ports and protesting the suspension of dockworker night shifts.
For more of the Press-Telegram story: www.presstelegram.com
For more of the KIRO TV story: www.kirotv.com
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