West Coast Ports may Face Lock Out or Shut Down of Supply Chain ?

[samfp1943]

CSSHEGEWISCH

 

Euclid

What is wrong with being anti-union?

 

 

 

Union-busting is a method of keeping the labor force cheap and docile.

 

Without deciding which side in the above Posted Thread items; suficent to say that we all have different views in the issue of 'Labor Unions' and 'Labor without Union representation'. 

To bring us back on topic:  "The problems in the 29 Ports that service the Western USA and Canada. But primarily the issues surrounding the Ports of Souther California.

[snipped] FTL"....

The chief executive officer of the Long Beach port, Jon Slangerup, said on Wednesday he understood that the two sides could clinch a deal in “a matter of days,” and that the talks were stuck on one last point of contention - the issue binding arbitration for settling contract disputes..." [snipped] "...The companies say union negotiators are seeking the right to dismiss any arbitrator who rules against the union at the end of each contract period, a demand management says is aimed at removing arbitrators who have found the union guilty of more than 200 slowdowns or work stoppages. A union spokesman has characterized that assertion as “totally inaccurate.”..."

taken from this linked article @  http://www.reviewjournal.com/business/labor-issues-close-west-coast-ports

Some of the numbers regarding the impact of the Ports on local economies are as noted here: FTL [snip] "...The two ports employ about 15,000 full-time and part-time workers, according to Phillip Sanfield, a spokesman for the Port of Los Angeles. But nearly 900,000 truck drivers, dockworkers, warehouse employees and others throughout Southern California are directly or indirectly tied to operations at the ports, he said..." [snipped]  from this linked article @    http://www.sgvtribune.com/business/20150117/labor-dispute-at-west-coast-ports-threaten-economy

then there is this article "If the West Coast ports shut down, who wins and who loses?"

linked @ http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-port-economics-20150214-story.html

The whole issue of this labor dispute traces back to june/julu of 2014 when the ILWU's contract with the PMA came up for negotiation. 

   There was apparent agreement with all parties in the negotiations, until the issue of an 'on-site' contract dispute negotiator came up. [my interpretations] The ILWU felt(?) that the chosen party(s) were going to be 'weighted' against the Unions9ILWU ?). Therefore, they would be at a disadvantage in disputes(?) at specific points of disagreement between the ILWU And PMA.   

Over time the rhetoric and 'posturing' has ratcheted up; as each side sought to gain whatever leverage they could gain over the other's 'side' for the negotiating process. [my2c]

 

[trackrat888]

Canada Prince Rupert has a number of big trains coming china to the US

[Paul_D_North_Jr]

Recent articles (this week) in the Wall Street Journal (and elsewhere) have reported the effects of the strike on the draymen, shippers, and receivers, and the attempts by some of them to use alternate (much more expensive) means, typically air freight.  Several shipping companies are rearranging their routes and schedules to skip 1 or more of those West Coast ports.

It's not pretty, and the longer it goes on, the worse the effects are going to be - both short-term and long-term, the latter of which could be a significant permanent diversion of traffic to other ports.  

There's big $ at stake here, and it's going to leave a very bad taste in a lot of commercial mouths.  Both sides have been and are still committing economic suicide (or fratricide) with these stunts. 

- Paul North.