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           Shipping Stevedoring Port Services Hydrocarbons Diving  Jul-Aug 2008        |
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Renewed call for solidarity with ILWU23 July 2008By MUA news -
The International Transport Workers' Federation dockers' section today renewed calls for solidarity with the International Longshore and Warehouse Union as negotiations over their 2008 enter their final stages. The ILWU contract covering 25,000 longshore workers at 29 west coast ports in the USA expired on July 1. Work continues at the ports as negotiations with Pacific Maritime Association extend into the nights and weekends in a bid to reach a settlement. MUA National secretary and chair of the ITF dockers' section Paddy Crumlin has urged all affiliates to renew their solidarity efforts with their ILWU brothers and sisters. He reminded affiliates and members that when the last contract talks broke down in 2002, the bosses imposed a 10-day lockout estimated to have cost the US economy more than $10bn. The standoff ended when President Bush intervened and a federal mediator eventually settled the discord. The ITF Dockers' Secretariat has been in regular contact with the ILWU leadership in order to closely monitor the situation in recent weeks. At its dockers' section meeting in Stockholm conference delegates unanimously passed a resolution pledging international solidarity. The ILWU reports, the Negotiating Committee is pushing hard to get a good agreement for ILWU Longshore Division members. On July 14, International President Bob McEllrath provided a bargaining update to more than 100 delegates at the Longshore Caucus who gathered in San Francisco. "We're making progress and moving in the right direction. We're entering the final stage where it's important to stay disciplined and take direction from the Committee," he said, discouraging talk about wildcats on the docks or members taking matters into their own hands. Meanwhile ILWU reports members at the Ports of LA and Long Beach are now taking their breaks together, a longstanding ILWU practice known as "unit breaks" which are allowed under the contract. This moderate and measured response by workers to the lengthy negotiations is sending a message to the companies: it's time to reach a fair agreement! Lloyds List reports the employers Pacific Maritime Association claim dockers were willfully hampering productivity with this action. But the union insists that cargo and ship traffic is moving as normal with the unit breaks and statistics from southern California indicate that ship traffic has not been affected to any noticeable extent. For ongoing updates Solidarity messages should go to
For further information
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