11/7Port Workers Solidarity Committee Meeting

Greetings Portworkers Supporters!

First, my apologies for not getting this out sooner. I've had some trouble with my email server.
This email contains information on our next meeting, a brief report on last tuesday's meeting & the on-going work of the committee, an announcement of a rally happening in Oakland on Thursday, and reports from the ILWU & "mainstream" press about the tentative agreement on technology reached last Friday.

-Sue Sandlin
Portworkers Solidarity Committee

• NEXT PORTWORKERS SOLIDARITY COMMITTEE MEETING
Thursday, November 7th - 7pm
ILWU Local 10 hall - 400 North Point, SF
Proposed Agenda will include an updated from a representative of Local 10, updates on the activities of the Solidarity Committee, and MOST IMPORTANTLY, planning for the December 7th conference on Taft-Hartley. Given the recent developments with negotiations, and given the scope of the event that has been proposed, there is a TON of work to do on this! We need everyone's help and input if we are going to be able pull off this ambitious event. Please forward this announcement widely, and encourage anyone who might be interested to attend this important meeting.

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• November 7th Oakland Protest Against Taft-Hartley Injunction
The Coalition for Workers' Rights has called a march & rallies for November 7th, to protest the Taft-Hartley injunction against the dockworkers, and unconscionable delays and anti-worker attitudes in negotiations for workers at the Oakland Tribune and City of Oakland.

The Coalition for Workers' Rights is made up of the ILWU Locals 10 and 34, SEIU 790, No CA Media Workers, Teamsters 70, Central Labor Council, and many community supporters. All these groups are supporting each other in labor struggles. The march will travel around downtown Oakland stopping for rallies at the offices involved, starting at 11:30 am and going until about 2:00 pm..

For more information, contact Susan Chacin at <schacin [at] igc.org>.

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• Report on committee meeting of 10/29
The meeting was attended by 15-20 people. We received an update from Jack H.. and Henry G. from local 10 on the status of negotiations and on the papers filed by the PMA and the ILWU with the Justice Department. Henry G. reported movement in negotiations. As of that time, there was no indication that there would be a court hearing on the "slowdown" allegations by the PMA nor on the issues raised by the ILWU (including employer/govt. collusion) anytime soon, but Local 10 would notify the committee if it looked like that would happen so that we could help prepare for a demonstration outside the courthouse (this is something that we had discussed at a previous meeting. Carl from our committee has drafted an initial "call" for the demo, but it was suggested that we wait to hear from local 10 before sending that out.)


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Recent Developments in negotiations

As most people have heard, there seems to be a tentative agreement on the technology issue in the ILWU/PMA contract negotiations. There are not many details available, but I have included below a statement from the ILWU website as well as a couple of articles from the New York Times and the LA Times.

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From the ILWU website:
West Coast ILWU Contract Campaign
Weekly Member Update:  Nov. 1, 2002
Negotiation Update:   At 5:00 a.m. on November 1, we reached a tentative agreement on the technology package.  We had bottom line concerns about jurisdiction and the employers met those concerns. This is a major victory for the union and the first real progress we have made in these negotiations.  Under an agreement with the federal mediator, details of the technology package will not be released until the entire contract package has been negotiated.  Connected to that technology agreement is the issue of pension plans.  Our negotiating committee will now begin bargaining on the pension package as we continue to work on securing a fair contract for all ILWU members.
 
ILWU Files Response to Bush Administration/PMA Attacks:
As mandated by the Department of Justice, we filed paperwork on Tuesday at noon responding to PMA claims of slowdowns.  Our response notes that the Department of Justice has shown favoritism to the PMA, and has given far too much credence to the PMA’s wholly unsubstantiated slowdown claims.  The issue, our attorneys note, is whether the ILWU has violated the preliminary injunction of the Federal Court requiring us to return to work under the old contract.  On this central issue, the PMA presents absolutely no evidence.  We briefed reporters Tuesday in order to disseminate our message that the PMA and Bush Administration are colluding to find a way to blame the ILWU for the problems that were created by the PMA.  That message appeared in media accounts up and down the Coast.  The DOJ now has the information it has requested, and will make a decision in the near future on how to proceed with the PMA complaint.  The agency’s claim of impartiality will be tested as it considers how to move on these poorly documented claims by the PMA.
 
ILWU Files Freedom of Information Act Request to Learn Details of Bush/Employer Collusion:
In a letter sent yesterday to Attorney General John Ashcroft, the ILWU called on the Department of Justice to conduct a full investigation into the apparent collusion between the Bush Administration, shipping companies and associations during the West Coast ports contract dispute.  In particular, the ILWU asked the Department of Justice to release the names of individuals who attended secret meetings with the Administration regarding the PMA’s dispute with the union. 
 
 
Monitoring Port Safety:  The ILWU is focusing heavily on port safety..  The following is the message we are sending at the major ports regarding the purpose of our port safety oversight efforts:  “The vitality of our cities’ ports is of great importance to our community.  As community leaders, we want to ensure that the conditions on our docks lead to a safe and productive working environment.  We have assembled a unique group of individuals from the safety and health experts, economists, academics, industry experts, and religious and political leaders to help monitor the situation on the docks and report back to the public.  In the coming weeks, we will be examining such critical issues as safety and health, the state of technology in the industry, port congestion. We will also conduct site visits to observe first-hand what is happening at our docks.  As community leaders, we are committed to doing all we can to make our ports safe and efficient so that goods can get to consumers across our country.”
 
 
Trumka Continues to Show Leadership, Commitment to ILWU:
Richard Trumka, Secretary-Treasurer of the AFL-CIO, addressed 2,000 Los Angeles-area ILWU members earlier this month to drive home the message that we must elevate the struggle and stay strong in the face of assaults by the PMA and the Bush Administration. At the meeting, Trumka and ILWU International President James Spinosa updated members on the latest developments and outlined the strategy we are pursuing to secure a good contract.  Trumka, a veteran of many crucial labor fights, has joined our negotiating team in meetings with federal mediators and the PMA, and continues to speak passionately on our fight at every opportunity.  Trumka and the AFL-CIO  have shown a serious commitment to our struggle, and pledge to fight with us until we have achieved our goals. 
 
ILWU Members Fighting to Protect U.S. Senate from Anti-Labor Republicans:
The ILWU has sent more than 30 of our members to five key states to help the AFL-CIO in its efforts to keep control of the U.S. Senate in the hands of Democrats.  A Republican takeover could seriously jeopardize the future of the ILWU and the national labor movement in general.  Our members are spending the final two weeks of the campaign in the trenches in those battleground states to ensure that the voice of ILWU working people is heard throughout the nation.  These committed ILWU members will return after the November 5 election with memorable experiences to share, and a wealth of new connections with others on the forefront of the national labor movement.
 
Web Site Updated Daily:  It is extremely important that ILWU members stay up to date on the important developments in the ongoing campaign to secure a fair contract for our members.  This is why we urge all members to check the web site frequently.  We update the site on a daily basis with the latest details on the status of the bargaining campaign.  Please go to http://www.ilwu.org on a ------------------------------
From the New York Times:

Major Issue Said Resolved in Mediation Over Docks
By STEVEN GREENHOUSE

Three weeks after an injunction sought by President Bush reopened West Coast ports, the longshoremen's union and the port operators reached a tentative agreement yesterday on the main issue dividing the two sides — the introduction of new technologies.

The two sides resumed negotiations late yesterday in San Francisco over the remaining issues, with some officials predicting that an overall deal would be reached well before the 80-day cooling-off period expires on Dec. 27.

After yesterday's accord, the main outstanding issues are pensions and the selection of a chief arbitrator for port disputes. The Pacific Maritime Association, the group representing shipping lines and port operators, has proposed choosing a neutral figure from the National Academy of Arbitrators, while the International Longshore and Warehouse Union wants someone from the shipping industry and has proposed a former union president.

The union and the port operators reached the partial agreement at 4 a.m. yesterday, after eight days of talks with the help of the top federal mediator..

On Sept. 29, the port operators closed 29 West Coast ports and locked out 10,000 longshoremen, claiming that the union was engaged in a slowdown. On Oct. 8, Mr. Bush sought and obtained an injunction to reopen the ports.

The mediator, Peter J. Hurtgen, director of the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service, said in a statement that tentative accord was reached on technology and on union jurisdiction.

Throughout the dispute, the union told the owners that it would accept new technologies that speed cargo handling only if management agreed to keep many jobs union and make some nonunion jobs union.

Mr. Hurtgen asked the two sides not to discuss details of the partial agreement, which will not take effect until an overall agreement is reached. Jason Greenwald, a spokesman for the port operators, declined to discuss details of the tentative agreement because of Mr. Hurtgen's request.

Steve Stallone, a spokesman for the union, which is based in San Francisco, praised the tentative agreement, which he said was a major development. "The union had its bottom line on jurisdiction and technology, and the employers met our bottom line," he said. "We consider this a victory."

But one adviser close to the negotiations who insisted that he not be identified, disagreed, saying management obtained almost all of what it wanted on technology, like using optical scanners to speed the entry of trucks carrying cargo.

Representatives from both sides said the talks were helped by the presence of Richard Trumka, the A.F.L.-C.I.O.'s secretary-treasurer, a seasoned negotiator from his years heading the United Mine Workers.

The agreement was reached after two weeks of furious attacks and counterattacks. The port operators accused the union of violating the back-to-work injunction by slowing down work at several ports. The port operators suggested that the Justice Department seek a contempt citation against the union.

But the union denied that it was deliberately slowing work, saying productivity was lower because of the confusion and backlog created by the lockout. The union said that trains and trucks were snarled and backed up and that there were not enough longshoremen to handle the surge in work.

The union disclosed yesterday that it had sent a letter to Attorney General John Ashcroft asking him to investigate "the apparent collusion" between certain federal officials and the management association. Accusing the government of holding secret meetings, the union requested any correspondence between federal officials and any businesses regarding the dispute, and asked for details of any meetings federal officials held about the dispute.

Charles S. Miller, a Justice Department spokesman, said there had been no collusion. "We deny the assertions made in that letter," he said.

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From the LA Times:

4:00 PM PST, November 1, 2002
Longshoremen, Shippers Reach Tentative Tech Deal
Agreement on introduction of new cargo-tracking systems is hailed by both sides.
 
West Coast longshoremen and shipping companies reached a tentative agreement today on computer technology that will cost union jobs, the major sticking point in their bitter contract talks.

Both sides hailed the deal to track waterfront cargo more efficiently as the first tangible progress since a 10-day lockout of dockworkers last month shut down 29 major Pacific ports.
   
 "The parties have worked long and hard," said federal mediator Peter Hurtgen. His statement said only that the deal concerned "the key issues of new technology and retention of union's jurisdiction for marine clerk work."

Technology has become a catch phrase for modernizing the docks through computerized records of what cargo lies where on a ship and in the yard. Now, much of that tracking relies on clerks to rekey information that is already in electronic form or perhaps even keep track of containers using clipboards.

"Obviously that is a positive development, and we continue to urge the parties to work together in good faith to resolve their remaining differences for the sake of the economy and jobs," White House spokesman Scott McClellan said.

The dockworker's union and the association representing shipping lines were compelled to restart talks after a federal judge granted President Bush's request for an 80-day "cooling-off" period.

The technology agreement, which was reached at 4 a.m. after all-night talks, clearly entailed compromise on both sides.

The 10,500-member International Longshore and Warehouse Union had insisted it would only agree to cuts in the number of marine clerks, whose jobs will be obsolete with a freer flow of electronic information, if the Pacific Maritime Association agreed that new jobs created by the technology be under the union's jurisdiction.

Though the short-term job loss numbers weren't clear today, both sides have said around 400 clerk positions would be eliminated under various technology proposals that have been floated since talks began in the spring.

"We had our bottom line on jurisdiction on what we could do, what we could accept, and they met our bottom line," union spokesman Steve Stallone said. "So we consider this a real victory and the first real progress we've had in these negotiations."

Like Hurtgen, Stallone emphasized that the deal on technology hasn't been the only issue separating the two sides-- and if talks break up over issues such as pensions and arbitration of disputes, the technology deal could be moot.

The talks were continuing on these other issues today afternoon.

Shipping lines and terminal operators will save hundreds of millions of dollars through the technology, "and we want a piece of that action," primarily in the form of increased pensions, Stallone said.

A Pacific Maritime Association spokesman acknowledged that the deal could prove to be an important breakthrough, but had no further comment, citing Hurtgen's request for a media blackout on the negotiations.

The ports handle more than $300 billion in trade each year. Some economists estimated that the U.S. economy lost $1 billion each day as cargo piled up at the docks and ships waited at anchor offshore. Some factories had to shut down for lack of supplies.

Sparring continues over who's to blame for slow progress in clearing the massive backlog of cargo since the lockout ended Oct. 9.

The association complained to the Justice Department that dockworkers have intentionally slowed work, cutting productivity by 30 percent in some cases. The union countered that mismanagement by shipping lines and terminal operators has led to dangerous congestion and disarray.

Indeed, even as Hurtgen was preparing to issue his statement today, the union publicly released a letter asking the Justice Department to investigate whether the Bush administration inappropriately collaborated with business groups to undermine union bargaining power during the lockout.

The union wants the Bush administration to disclose details of every meeting or discussion between government officials and business groups about the contract dispute, including dates, who attended or participated, documents and descriptions based on sworn testimonies.

The Justice Department didn't have immediate comment.

McClellan said the White House did nothing wrong.

"We have a commitment, an obligation to listen to all people on all sides of the issues, and we have," he said. "Throughout the dispute, the administration has remained neutral and urged the parties to work together to resolve their differences."