NRF to the ILWU & PMA: Stop Holding the Supply Chain Community Hostage

West Coast ports to temporarily suspend weekend vessel operations in light of continued union slowdowns. By 24/7 Staff

February 06, 2015

The National Retail Federation issued the following statement from Vice President for Supply Chain Jonathan Gold on the news of a temporary suspension of port terminal operations at the West Coast containerized ports:

“Temporarily suspending port operations is just another example of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union and Pacific Maritime Association shooting themselves in the collective bargaining foot.

The continuing slowdowns and increasing congestion at West Coast ports are bringing the fears of a port shutdown closer to a reality.

“The entire the supply chain – from agriculture to manufacturing and retail to transportation – have been dealing with the lack of a West Coast port contract for the last nine months.

“Enough is enough. The escalating rhetoric, the threats, the dueling press releases and the inability to find common ground between the two sides are simply driving up the cost of products, jeopardizing American jobs and threatening the long term viability of businesses large and small.

“Our message to the ILWU and PMA: Stop holding the supply chain community hostage. Get back to the negotiating table, work with the federal mediator and agree on a new labor contract.”

West Coast Ports to Temporarily Suspend Weekend Vessel Operations In Light of Continued Union Slowdowns

San Francisco – February 6, 2015 - The Pacific Maritime Association (PMA) announced today that weekend vessel loading and unloading operations will be temporarily suspended this weekend, with yard, rail and gate operations continuing at terminal operators’ discretion.

In light of ongoing union slowdowns up and down the coast which have brought the ports almost to a standstill, PMA member companies finally have concluded that they will no longer continue to pay workers premium pay for diminished productivity.

“After three months of union slowdowns, it makes no sense to pay extra for less work,” said PMA spokesman Wade Gates, “especially if there is no end in sight to the union’s actions which needlessly brought West Coast ports to the brink of gridlock.”

Vessel operations are scheduled to resume Monday, February 9. Yard operations - that is, moving processed containers for truck and rail delivery to customers – will continue at terminal operators’ discretion, although the ILWU continues to limit operations by withholding the needed crane operators or operating slowly.

PMA cancels weekend work, is ‘playing a dangerous and unnecessary game of brinkmanship’ - ILWU President Robert McEllrath

From a report in the Wall Street Journal called ”West Coast Port Employers Suspend Some Operations Amid Labor Dispute”:

Terminal operators at ports up and down the West Coast say they will temporarily suspend some operations for the weekend, citing “ongoing union slowdowns” that have allegedly “brought the ports almost to a standstill.”

A spokeswoman for the ILWU said in an email Friday, “The PMA is playing a dangerous and unnecessary game of brinkmanship by idling vessels for two days in a not-too-disguised effort to intimidate the ILWU membership.”

On Thursday afternoon, the ILWU circulated photos of empty yards at the ports. President Robert McEllrath said in a statement accompanying the photos, “PMA is leaving ships at sea and claiming there’s no space on the docks, but there are acres of asphalt just waiting for the containers on those ships, and hundreds of longshore workers ready to unload them.”

As of Friday morning, 26 ships were waiting at anchor outside the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach.

Related: West Coast Port Employers Suspend Some Operations Amid Labor Dispute

NRF is the world’s largest retail trade association, representing discount and department stores, home goods and specialty stores, Main Street merchants, grocers, wholesalers, chain restaurants and Internet retailers from the United States and more than 45 countries.

Retail is the nation’s largest private sector employer, supporting one in four U.S. jobs – 42 million working Americans. Contributing $2.6 trillion to annual GDP, retail is a daily barometer for the nation’s economy.

NRF’s This is Retail campaign highlights the industry’s opportunities for life-long careers, how retailers strengthen communities, and the critical role that retail plays in driving innovation. NRF.com