Clerical Union and Port Operators Back at Bargaining Table
After an abrupt break in talks, contract negotiations were back on track between unionized clerks and their employers at the ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles.
The Clerical Unit of International Longshore and Warehouse Union Local 63 and 14 shipping lines and cargo-terminal operators were behind closed doors again on Aug. 1 after their bargaining sessions broke off two days earlier.
With the two sides still far apart on several points, there is fear that the clerical union could set up a picket line that would be honored by other longshore workers, causing a disruption during prime shipping season at the busiest port complex in the United States. The two ports handle 40 percent of the cargo sent from Asia to the United States.
The break in negotiations on July 31 prompted California Sens. Barbara Boxer and Dianne Feinstein to dispatch a letter urging the two sides to resume talks.
“With the fragile state of California’s economy and growing competition from other U.S. ports, it is essential that both parties reach an agreement that will protect these important jobs and allow the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach to continue operating without disruption,” their letter said.
Local 63 represents 600 clerks who book cargo on ships, file customs documentation, and track and trace cargo shipments at the two ports. They have been working for more than two years without a contract.
A new contract would guarantee them at least $87,000 a year, and their total compensation with benefits would be $165,000 a year.
Clerical workers at other West Coast ports are covered by a different agreement and would not be affected by a strike of clerical workers in the Los Angeles area, said Steve Getzug, a spokesperson for the Los Angeles/Long Beach Harbor Employers Association.
The two sides have been bogged down on two issues—technology and the flexibility for employers to hire workers—Getzug said.
“Primarily, the employers are looking for additional flexibility to make hiring decisions,” Getzug said. “Under the contract now, the employers must replace workers who leave their jobs for whatever reason.”
The port employers also want to maintain the technology language negotiated during the 2004 and 2007 contract talks.
Neither Steve Fageaux Jr., Local 63’s president, nor Steve Barry, the attorney representing port employers, were available for comment by press time.
Earlier this year, clerks set up a picket line at the two ports that was briefly honored by longshore workers. But an arbitrator ruled that the picket line wasn’t justified and could not be honored by other workers.
Later, a court arbitrator overturned that decision, which makes the negotiations even more urgent. —Deborah Belgum
