Longshore labor

As COVID-19 infection rates rise, transport and maritime officials are urging that supply chain workers be given priority for vaccines, saying their health is essential to keeping goods moving throughout the US.

DP World and the Maritime Union of Australia (MUA) say they expect to finalize an employment agreement covering the terminal operator's Port Botany facility in Sydney next week.

The latest strike action and low expectations among employers that the federal government will intervene suggests Canada’s second-largest port faces a protracted disruption.

Observers say the port strike, if it drags on, could create lasting damage to the Port of Montreal, which handles a significant volume of discretionary cargo able to move through other ports.

The alleged attack in Montreal comes as dock workers are in the midst of a four-day strike, with port checkers due to launch their own job action Saturday.

The latest strike action raises concerns that port clerk and longshore will launch consecutive strikes at Montreal, the second-largest East Coast port.

The second strike action in less than two months at the second-largest Canadian container port bodes poorly for longshore workers and employers agreeing to a new contract soon.

ILWU’s monthly stop-work meeting to discuss union matters moved to June 19 day shift as West Coast longshoremen honor slain African-American George Floyd.

Proponents of reducing the Waterfront Commission role have argued the commission oversteps its authority to combat crime on the docks and slows down hiring.

Sources say there is little doubt that automation will be a major issue for the ILWU when negotiations begin, likely in early 2022. The question is how hard it will press the issue.

The head of the Pacific Maritime Association is instructing members to report all health incidents through an online portal after ILWU workers refused to enter Terminal 18 Monday, citing fear of coronavirus contamination.

Longshore unions continue to assign work through hiring halls on the East, Gulf and West coasts as the unions balance the need for safety measures that protect workers from COVID-19 with the demands of keeping ports open and efficient.

Judge Michael H. Simon will contact the ILWU and ICTSI about setting up a new trial to determine the amount of the award.

Portland judge reduces $93.6 million jury award against ILWU to $19 million, possibly bringing an end in sight to a legal battle that started with job actions that began in 2012.

Australian shippers are breathing a sigh of relief, at least for now, after a court order was issued preventing longshore workers from striking against DP World Australia amid an ongoing 16-month contract dispute.

A court showdown between the International Longshore & Warehouse Union and the former operator of Portland’s container terminal is set for Feb. 14. The ILWU will argue the $93.6 million jury award it faces for work slowdowns at the port between 2013-2017 is unjustified.

Long Beach Container Terminal, which included the ILWU in the planning process for its fully-automated terminal right from the beginning, has avoided the labor pushback that can complicate the introduction of automation at marine terminals.

West Coast employers are somewhat hopeful the ILWU will view the unprecedented $93 million judgment in Portland as a wakeup call to improve labor relations and stop the bleed of cargo to ports on other coasts.

How the US and Canadian governments respond to anti-automation pressure from longshore unions will have ramifications beyond the shaping of public perception, affecting everything from permitting processes to federal grant funding for autonomous equipment upgrades.

A union-sponsored report on automation in Vancouver and Prince Rupert cites the potential reduction of 50-90 percent in longshore jobs as terminal operators seek to reduce operational costs, especially labor.

Waterfront employers and ILWU Canada say their new contract will enable Vancouver and Prince Rupert to grow through automation while ensuring dockworkers are properly trained for new job opportunities.

Harold J. Daggett, who led negotiations for the International Longshoremen’s Association that forged the six-year master contract banning automated terminals from ports on the East and Gulf coasts, was re-elected as the union’s head at its convention Thursday.

A tentative agreement between ILWU Local 13 and APM Terminals assures that dockworkers will be re-skilled or up-skilled for the jobs of the future created by automation.

Three months after a federal court voided the 2018 results of the International Longshore & Warehouse Union’s election of top officers, the union is still awaiting instructions for holding a new election.

The vote, following more than four hours of heated and oft-raucous debate on Wednesday, is more symbolic than impactful

ILWU Canada overwhelmingly approved a new contract for the ports of Vancouver and Prince Rupert, which should guarantee labor peace pending approval from the British Columbia Maritime Employers Association.

The Waterfront Commission of New York Harbor has the authority to issue subpoenas to members of the International Longshoremen’s Association in connection with a 2016 wildcat strike, a federal appellate court has ruled.

Operations at the Port of Vancouver will resume at 4:30 p.m. local time thanks to a tentative new labor agreement between the BCMEA and ILWU Canada.

Negotiations have resumed between the British Columbia Maritime Employers Association (BCMEA) and ILWU Canada, but dockworkers at the ports of Vancouver and Prince Rupert could still be locked out at 8 am Thursday morning.

Waterfront employers have informed ILWU Canada they will be locked out of the ports of Vancouver and Prince Rupert at 8 a.m. Thursday if contract negotiations remain at a stalemate.

ILWU Canada has scaled down its threatened strike at Deltaport and Vanterm terminals in Vancouver to just a refusal to work overtime at those facilities.

A work stoppage at the two largest container terminals in Vancouver would be devastating for a port whose facilities are already operating at 85 percent utilization. In the terminal operating industry, 80 percent utilization is considered the limit before service begins to decline.

ILWU Canada voted overwhelmingly to authorize a strike if necessary, but the union and employers have agreed to continuing bargaining until at least the end of May in contract negotiations that have been under way since February 2018.

The Port of New York and New Jersey and other ports along the Gulf and East coasts are looking at how to reduce the cost and productivity loss that occurs when longshoremen hired for the weekend are unable to work due to vessel delays.

Longshore workers in Canada are turning up the heat on the employers’ association in Vancouver as negotiations that began in February 2018 still have not replaced the contract that expired more than a year ago.

Members of the Maritime Union of Australia and DP World Australia have agreed to return to the negotiating table to work on a new agreement on pay and working conditions.

The International Transport Workers’ Federation has joined the ILWU in urging Maersk to consider the social and economic impacts of its automated terminal project in Los Angeles.

The Los Angeles harbor commission has put plans to automate a portion of APM Terminals’ Pier 400 facility on hold, but the delay is likely just a temporary setback.

Members of the Maritime Union of Australia (MUA) at the ports of Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, and Fremantle are protesting a DP World decision to cease providing workers with income protection insurance.

Harold Daggett, leader of the East and Gulf coast longshore labor union, is seeking a third term just over a year after striking a coastwide master contract with employers banning automated terminals.