Warehouse Union

Protesters from Occupy L.A. and other groups plan to form a picket line at the Port of Long Beach on Monday to try to shut down traffic at at least one shipping terminal. Similar actions are planned at ports up and down the West Coast. The target of the Long Beach protest is SSA Marine, a shipping company. Occupy L.A. demonstrator Michael Novick said protesters chose SSA Marine because "they embody all the ills of this economic regime we live under. " Protesters say SSA Marine has engaged in unfair labor practices and pursued objectionable environmental policies.

Protesters from Occupy L.A. and other groups plan to form a picket line at the Port of Long Beach on Monday to try to shut down traffic at at least one shipping terminal. Similar actions are planned at ports up and down the West Coast. The target of the Long Beach protest is SSA Marine, a shipping company. Occupy L.A. demonstrator Michael Novick said protesters chose SSA Marine because "they embody all the ills of this economic regime we live under. " Protesters say SSA Marine has engaged in unfair labor practices and pursued objectionable environmental policies.

Though I might disagree with a couple of points in the Nov. 15 editorial, "L.A.'s Dawdling Ports," still I say three cheers for ringing the alarm bells about bankers' hours of the terminals at the nation's busiest seaport. The International Longshore and Warehouse Union called for extended hours at the ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles long ago, and so we agree with The Times that the current business-as-usual schedule is not good enough. The union would like to see the ports embrace 24/7 access and the creation of inland staging areas so we can move this cargo off the docks and into the supply chain more efficiently and quickly, so goods arrive in neighborhood stores on time.

The union representing West Coast dockworkers has formed an alliance with pilots who guide ships through the Panama Canal, a link-up that could boost the bargaining power of both unions. The International Longshore and Warehouse Union represents workers in the U.S. and Canada, including 50,000 longshore and other workers on the West Coast. The union has been concerned about the potential loss of cargo, jobs and collective bargaining power that could occur when the Panama Canal expansion opens in 2014.

Re "Stage Set for More Port Labor Strife," Sept. 29: The International Longshore and Warehouse Union fears that computers might replace some of its union brethren in the buggy-whip department, so it stages a work slowdown? This is precisely what's wrong with organized labor today: The painters union fears its members may become more productive with wider brushes, or the construction workers union fears its members may become more efficient with heavier hammers. Sheesh. The stevedoring companies would do well by offering these jobs outside at half the $80,000 union wage.

Whereas business monopolies are dangerous to the economy of the country, so are union monopolies ["Dispute Shows a Union Firmly Anchored at West Coast Ports," Oct. 13]. The dockworkers plainly have a monopoly on the West Coast that can be devastating to the U.S. economy. Unions have a right to apply economic pressure on their employers but not on individuals and businesses that have no voice in their demands. Legislation should be passed that places unions on an equal footing with anti-trust laws on business.

A 73-year-old dockworker was killed Friday after being run over by a forklift as he was helping unhook cargo from a ship at the Port of Long Beach, officials said. Carlos Rivera of Wilmington had worked on the waterfront for more than 40 years. "This is a man with considerable experience," said John Showalter, spokesman for the International Longshore and Warehouse Union. "This affirms the fact that the docks are a dangerous place to work." The California United Terminal, where the 11 a.m. accident occurred, ordered cargo handling halted for 24 hours.

West Coast port workers may resort to work slowdowns as contract negotiations extend past Tuesday's deadline, a Wolfe Research analyst said Wednesday. Such actions may be "in the near term," Ed Wolfe, the New York analyst, said in a report to investors. He didn't say why he believed they might occur. The International Longshore and Warehouse Union and the Pacific Maritime Assn., which represents port terminal operators, have been trying to avoid a strike like the one that idled the cargo entry points for 10 days in 2002.

By locking out the longshoremen not once but twice (after publicly threatening to do so several times), management has made it clear that it never intended to sit down at the table with the International Longshore and Warehouse Union and bargain in good faith (Sept. 30). Rather, its plan all along has been to get the federal government involved in these negotiations in the hope that the feds could succeed in pulling off what it (the Pacific Maritime Assn.) has been unable to do, i.e., break the longshoremen's union.

The Justice Department said Wednesday that it will not pursue contempt penalties against the dockworkers union or shipping companies for contributing to slowdowns in violation of a court order to keep West Coast ports moving normally. The statement was filed with the U.S. District Court in San Francisco on the eve of a status conference today involving the International Longshore and Warehouse Union and the Pacific Maritime Assn, which represents shipping lines and terminal operators.

A labor dispute with the potential to shut down much of the nation's busiest seaport complex may drag for weeks as the maritime clerks union and employers argue about a little-known agreement reached during the depth of the global recession. The two sides at the Los Angeles and Long Beach ports are still far apart in their negotiations on a contract to replace the one that expired June 30, which prompted a clerk walkout at four container terminals. On Friday, the 900-member clerical union expanded picketing to a fifth container terminal, temporarily interrupting dock operations.

Ever since the 1930s, when Harry Bridges founded the International Longshore and Warehouse Union, the legendary labor leader's name has conjured images of dockworker walkouts and bloody clashes with police on the picket lines in the hardworking port communities of Wilmington and San Pedro.

West Coast port workers may resort to work slowdowns as contract negotiations extend past Tuesday's deadline, a Wolfe Research analyst said Wednesday. Such actions may be "in the near term," Ed Wolfe, the New York analyst, said in a report to investors. He didn't say why he believed they might occur. The International Longshore and Warehouse Union and the Pacific Maritime Assn., which represents port terminal operators, have been trying to avoid a strike like the one that idled the cargo entry points for 10 days in 2002.

A 73-year-old dockworker was killed Friday after being run over by a forklift as he was helping unhook cargo from a ship at the Port of Long Beach, officials said. Carlos Rivera of Wilmington had worked on the waterfront for more than 40 years. "This is a man with considerable experience," said John Showalter, spokesman for the International Longshore and Warehouse Union. "This affirms the fact that the docks are a dangerous place to work." The California United Terminal, where the 11 a.m. accident occurred, ordered cargo handling halted for 24 hours.

Though I might disagree with a couple of points in the Nov. 15 editorial, "L.A.'s Dawdling Ports," still I say three cheers for ringing the alarm bells about bankers' hours of the terminals at the nation's busiest seaport. The International Longshore and Warehouse Union called for extended hours at the ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles long ago, and so we agree with The Times that the current business-as-usual schedule is not good enough. The union would like to see the ports embrace 24/7 access and the creation of inland staging areas so we can move this cargo off the docks and into the supply chain more efficiently and quickly, so goods arrive in neighborhood stores on time.

The Justice Department said Wednesday that it will not pursue contempt penalties against the dockworkers union or shipping companies for contributing to slowdowns in violation of a court order to keep West Coast ports moving normally. The statement was filed with the U.S. District Court in San Francisco on the eve of a status conference today involving the International Longshore and Warehouse Union and the Pacific Maritime Assn, which represents shipping lines and terminal operators.

A labor dispute with the potential to shut down much of the nation's busiest seaport complex may drag for weeks as the maritime clerks union and employers argue about a little-known agreement reached during the depth of the global recession. The two sides at the Los Angeles and Long Beach ports are still far apart in their negotiations on a contract to replace the one that expired June 30, which prompted a clerk walkout at four container terminals. On Friday, the 900-member clerical union expanded picketing to a fifth container terminal, temporarily interrupting dock operations.

Accused of failing to comply with a 15-year-old federal court order to hire more women, the powerful longshore workers union and a prominent shipping association have agreed to settle contempt of court charges by recruiting more female dockworkers in the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach. The pending settlement, which is headed for approval early next year in federal court, involves a civil contempt action against the International Longshore and Warehouse Union and the Pacific Maritime Assn.

Regarding "U.S. Must Loosen Two Sides' Tight Grip on Ports," Oct. 16: Why does the solution seem to be to tie the hands of American labor instead of considering that the Pacific Maritime Assn. may be too strong and should not be able to wield the power it has been using? My husband has been a member of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union for 44 years and has seen many changes. My son has been a casual worker for the last five years; casuals have no union status. I hear from both what is really happening on the docks.

Whereas business monopolies are dangerous to the economy of the country, so are union monopolies ["Dispute Shows a Union Firmly Anchored at West Coast Ports," Oct. 13]. The dockworkers plainly have a monopoly on the West Coast that can be devastating to the U.S. economy. Unions have a right to apply economic pressure on their employers but not on individuals and businesses that have no voice in their demands. Legislation should be passed that places unions on an equal footing with anti-trust laws on business.