As predicted, a growing number of sources close to the ongoing US dockside labor negotiations believe that while there are still several difficult issues to be resolved, it is increasingly likely that a deal will be reached in August or September with little disruption at the dockside! I have also repeatedly warned that any exaggerations and speculations should think about the purpose of the company and the team behind them, do not become a member of the blind stream, especially to be careful of the private goods on behalf of the company’s media brainwashing.
- “The parties continue to meet and negotiate,” Port of Los Angeles Executive Director Gene Seroka said today. . “Both sides have experienced negotiators at the table, and both sides understand their importance to the American economy. I am optimistic that we will have a good contract and the goods will continue to flow.
2. The Biden administration put heavy pressure on unions and union management to reach an agreement without further slowing container traffic at West Coast ports. Of course, there are still those who do not believe the process will work smoothly. No one is willing to completely rule out the possibility that the talks could go off track, though most consider that a small possibility.
3. Recent joint statements by the International Terminals and Warehouses Union (ILWU) and the Pacific Maritime Association (PMA), including one issued just hours before the current contract expires on July 1, seem to be aimed at allaying these concerns. The statement read in part: “Although the contract will not be extended, shipments will continue and ports will continue to operate normally until an agreement is reached…” .
4. Some remain sceptical, given the long history of industrial action and lockouts associated with ilWU-PMA contract negotiations dating back to the 1990s. “Despite recent joint statements, supply chain stakeholders remain concerned about potential disruptions, especially in the absence of contracts or delays,” more than 150 industry associations wrote in a July 1 letter to President Joe Biden. . “Unfortunately, this concern stems from a long history of disruptions in previous negotiations.”
5.Still, the mood among sources close to the negotiations is growing. The latest news is that the chances of massive disruption are receding as the two sides negotiate further. “While the current contract has expired, both sides have indicated that they are confident that a contract will be signed in the short term and that a contract will be signed to improve port efficiency,” Rep. John Garamendi, A California Democrat, said this week at the Western Food and Agriculture Policy Summit. . The continued, intense involvement of Biden administration officials, such as Labor Secretary Marty Walsh and White House ports envoy Stephen R.Lyons, also reassured stakeholders that they were in regular contact with labor and association management.
6.Avoiding industrial action that disrupts the flow of goods and fuels inflation is seen as a key political responsibility for Mr. Biden ahead of November’s midterm elections.
7.Stakeholder optimism is based on the assumption that big issues can be resolved at the negotiating table. Employers appear unwilling to compromise on automation, arguing that the automation rights they won in 2008 and subsequent contracts should not be compromised. Since then, they have paid the dockers handsomely. In addition, the employer will resist change overall personnel rules (the so-called “on-demand equipped with” principle), would rather automation terminal personnel requirements discussion to each terminal and its ILWU local negotiations among locals, as has been applied on the wharf in three southern California occurred in the automation project.
8. These sources also assume that the local grievances that were the root cause of the six-month port disruption in 2014-15 during the last full ILWU-PMA negotiations will not erupt this time. These local issues are still pending and must be discussed, including the Pacific Northwest Dockworkers’ belief that the employers of Port of Seattle terminal 5 reneged on their 2008 contract commitment to uphold ILWU’s jurisdiction over maintenance and repair work against competing claims from other unions.
9. Offsetting the remaining risks, many have long seen openness as the route to contracts, despite contentious issues such as automation: the historical profits of container ship companies could be used to fund large increases in longshoremen’s wages and benefits in 2021 and this year. Sources point to the recent agreement between United Airlines and its pilots, represented by the Airline Pilots Association, as an example of how negotiations between employers and key workers are playing out on the West Coast. In those negotiations, the largest pilots’ union last month approved a contract that would raise wages for United pilots by more than 14 percent over the next 18 months, an increase considered “generous” by historical standards. So far, there has been no known slowdown at West Coast ports. Although the previous contract expired on July 1, unions and management still have an “obligation to negotiate in good faith” under US Labour law, meaning neither side can call a strike or lockout until negotiations are declared deadlocked. In addition, during the negotiations, the parties will abide by the terms and conditions of the recently expired collective bargaining Agreement.
Post time: Jul-15-2022