Will the ILWU Really Lengthen Their Contract Early?
Is it doable the Worldwide Longshore & Warehouse Union (ILWU) would really conform to a contract extension earlier than their present contract expires?
Lengthy earlier than their contract expires in 2019 with the ILWU, the Pacific Maritime Affiliation (PMA) is reaching out to the ILWU to increase the contract.
In accordance with a Wall Avenue Journal article, the ILWU is definitely contemplating it:
Dockworkers and delivery corporations at U.S. West Coast ports are formally contemplating extending the five-year contract they agreed to final 12 months, based on Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker, who met with the 2 teams Friday in Los Angeles.
…
James McKenna, president of the Pacific Maritime Affiliation, which negotiates labor contracts on behalf of West Coast port employers, informed Mr. Pritzker on Friday that the affiliation despatched a letter to the Worldwide Longshore and Warehouse Union suggesting a contract extension.
Union Vice President Ray Familathe confirmed within the assembly that the ILWU obtained the letter and can be contemplating the proposition at a caucus within the coming weeks.
The apply of the union is to by no means lengthen a contract or full negotiations for the subsequent earlier than a present contract expires. That manner, their strongest instruments for creating leverage in negotiations are open to them: slowdowns and strikes.
The ILWU simply saying it would take into account extending a contract is information. It’s made headlines throughout delivery trade publications.
Shippers, and everybody concerned within the worldwide delivery trade are definitely listening to this case due to what a big (and unfavourable) impact labor disputes and contract negotiations between the ILWU and PMA have had on the trade.
Actually, the entire nation must be paying consideration. Port shutdowns and slowdowns, like what occurred over the past PMA and ILWU contract negotiations, value the U.S. economic system billions of {dollars}.
Including to the refrain of voices urging the 2 events to increase the contract lengthy earlier than negotiations flip ugly, the Yakima Herald cites losses experiences by Washington companies due to the final spherical of labor strife:
Over the winter of 2014-15, protracted contract negotiations between the ILWU and the PMA resulted in a productiveness slowdown at West Coast ports. No matter who was at “fault,” the slowdown was actual. A Washington Council on Worldwide Commerce examine reported the slowdown value Washington state companies greater than $765 million.
Northwest apple and pear growers alone suffered roughly $95 million in misplaced gross sales, not counting the prices of further chilly storage and penalties imposed by importers resulting from delivery delays. The long-term results, as exporters misplaced clients and shippers modified routing, are nonetheless being calculated.
These thousands and thousands in losses are only a small portion of the cash the contentious contract negotiations value states, shippers, companies, households…
It’s no marvel shippers, companies, and politicians are urging the events to speak contract extension.
The Journal of Commerce simply revealed an article about congressmen and shippers sending a letter to push for extension and keep away from one more spherical of port disruptions due to contract negotiations:
U.S. representatives Dan Newhouse and Dave Reichert, each Republicans from Washington, wrote a letter on the weekend to McKenna and McEllrath. The letter was additionally signed by seven different congressional representatives from each events. Citing the a whole bunch of thousands and thousands of {dollars} in damages that agricultural pursuits and companies suffered through the 2014 to 2015 coastwide contract negotiations, the congressmen urged the PMA and ILWU to interact in severe and early discussions to stop additional port disruptions.
Maybe I’m changing into jaded, however like many I’m skeptical that the ILWU placing the subject on their upcoming caucus schedule means they’ll really take into account an early extension.
Clearly, shippers, enterprise house owners, trade consultants, and congressmen should be frightened it received’t occur too to be writing so many letters and articles urging the ILWU and PMA to increase.
So we’ll hold writing letters, articles, and blogs about how a lot the present apply of contract negotiations is hurting everybody else and see if the ILWU does one thing completely different than what they’ve all the time executed.
Is the ILWU actually contemplating extending the contract early? What do you assume? Remark under.
Supply: UC Weblog
