Robust Ruling Towards ILWU in Seattle T-5 Jurisdictional Dispute Might Be Motivation Behind Labor Motion that Closed Ports of LA-LB

Coincidence?

Patrick E. McLean wrote in his ebook How one can Reach Evil, “There is no such thing as a such factor as coincidence, Topper. It’s all the time, all the time your enemies conspiring towards you.” Shippers could really feel that’s an apt quote once they join the dots of final week’s occasions.

The US Nationwide Labor Relations Board (NLRB) dominated towards the Worldwide Longshore & Warehouse Union (ILWU) in its jurisdictional dispute with the Worldwide Affiliation of Machinists & Aerospace Employees (IAM) at Terminal 5 (T-5) of the Port of Seattle. ILWU’s labor motion that closed the port final week occurred instantly afterward.

The timing couldn’t be extra suspicious.

On April sixth, NLRB’s choice towards the ILWU dropped quietly when it comes to information protection. Nonetheless, it was that exact same day that the ILWU Native 13 started its labor motion to close down the Ports of Los Angeles and Lengthy Seaside through the Thursday evening shift and Friday morning shift, which the union adopted up with sluggish labor dispatching on Monday. The labor motion and shutdown appeared to take everybody without warning.

Sudden labor motion going down later in the identical day that this choice went towards the ILWU, if not associated, can be extremely coincidental.

The ILWU ought to definitely not be thought-about an enemy of shippers, however shippers have typically paid closely for disruptive labor motion from the union throughout negotiation durations when the union’s grasp contract has expired up to now. Finally, the occasions of final week and early this week improve shippers’ nervousness that they are going to undergo extra expensive cargo delays from labor motion as contract negotiations between the ILWU and the Pacific Maritime Affiliation (PMA), representing employers on the docks, proceed to pull out.

ILWU Made T-5 Choice Central Concern in Negotiations

One may suppose a jurisdictional dispute at one terminal in a single port wouldn’t be that large of a deal in contract negotiations that cowl dockworkers coast-wide. One can be fallacious.

The ILWU put this dispute entrance and heart in labor talks. For a protracted interval, the union even refused to barter till the matter was resolved.

In actual fact, the T-5 jurisdictional dispute held up contract negotiations between the ILWU and the PMA for months. Lastly, the ILWU agreed to have interaction in talks with the PMA earlier than the dispute on the Port of Seattle was resolved. Nonetheless, by all stories, the at-last-resumed talks haven’t resulted in a lot up up to now.

Nonetheless, it ought to be famous that the events have agreed to not speak to the media about what’s taking place within the negotiations. That leaves a lot of what the media has to say about negotiation progress to hypothesis. It’s attainable there was extra progress in negotiations than these on the skin understand. One can solely hope.

What we do know is the ILWU aggressively goes after jobs on the ports to which different unions have claims. The ILWU claims that in concession for being granted the suitable to replace particular person terminals with automation within the 2008 grasp contract with the ILWU, the PMA promised to again the union in any jurisdictional disputes it has with different unions. The ILWU claimed the PMA didn’t observe by way of with that when it got here to the T-5 dispute on the Port of Seattle.

By implication, if circuitously, the union has referred to as into query all terminal automation updates which have been completed since that contract settlement. Main as much as this negotiation cycle, automation was the problem most nervous would flip talks contentious. The ILWU linked the T-5 dispute proper to the automation problem.

Ruling Says ILWU Engaged in Unfair Labor Practices

If you wish to learn the ruling towards the ILWU, click on right here for the NLRB’s printed PDF of its choice.

Not solely did the NLRB rule towards the ILWU within the T-5 matter, however its board members additionally had “sturdy phrases” for the ILWU. Invoice Mongelluzzo reported within the Journal of Commerce (JOC):

Sources instructed the Journal of Commerce Friday they had been shocked by the sturdy phrases that NLRB Chairman Lauren McFerran and two of the board’s members used within the ruling. The NLRB instructed the ILWU to “stop and desist from threatening, coercing or restraining” SSA Marine from assigning upkeep and restore work to members of the IAM. The order additionally instructed the ILWU to stop “pursuing misplaced work alternative claims” at T-5. 

…

Thursday’s NLRB ruling stated that the ILWU, by persevering with to pursue its “misplaced work alternative claims” underneath the 2008 ILWU-PMA coastwide contract, “has engaged in unfair labor practices in violation of … the Nationwide Labor Relations Act.” 

The NLRB in Thursday’s ruling ordered the ILWU to inform the PMA-ILWU Joint Coast Labor Committee established by the 2008 coastwide contract that it’s going to now not pursue its misplaced work alternative claims, and to publish notices “in conspicuous locations, together with all locations the place notices to staff are usually posted” indicating that it’s going to now not pursue these claims with the ILWU-PMA coast arbitrator. 

One thing that basically stood out to me as I learn the NLRB choice was when Chairman McFerran and members Kaplan and Prouty wrote within the quick Amended Conclusion of Legislation part, “By pursuing misplaced work alternative claims… to be able to power the Employer to assign the upkeep and restore work at Terminal 5 within the Port of Seattle to ILWU-represented staff, slightly than staff represented by IAM, ILWU has engaged in unfair labor practices…”

Then, instantly following that got here the Order part by which the NLRB ordered the ILWU to:

Stop and desist from

(a) Threatening, coercing, or restraining SSA Terminals, LLC, or every other particular person engaged in commerce or in an trade affecting commerce, the place an object of their actions is to power or require SSA Terminals, LLC to assign upkeep and restore work at Terminal 5 within the Port of Seattle to staff who’re members of, or represented by the [ILWU] and [ILWU], Native 19, slightly than to staff who’re members of, or represented by, [IAM], District Lodge 160, Native Lodge 289.

The ILWU can be ordered to stop and desist from:

Pursuing misplaced work alternative claims and searching for to implement the arbitration award of the Coast Arbitrator to be able to acquire upkeep and restore work carried out at Terminal 5 within the Port of Seattle by staff represented by the [IAM], District Lodge 160, Native Lodge 289.

In different phrases, cease partaking in unfair labor practices and ways and cease attempting to make use of this dangerous misplaced alternative declare to take jobs away from the IAM.

Clearly, the ILWU is sad with the ruling. It introduced it is going to attraction. The appeals course of might probably drag on for years.

In the meantime, shippers simply need to have their items transfer easily by way of the ports. Sadly, whereas the ILWU fights over jurisdiction, particularly throughout a time of negotiations when the union’s grasp contract is expired, shippers can’t be assured labor motion received’t disrupt West Coast ports at any second.