ILWU, PMA prep for negotiations as container stacks rise
Date：2014/12/1 17:14:07

Bill Mongelluzzo, Senior Editor Dec 01, 2014 5:49PM EST

        LONG BEACH, California  Containers continued to pile up at U.S. West Coast ports over the Thanksgiving weekend as negotiators for the International Longshore and Warehouse Union and Pacific Maritime Association met separately today to prepare for face-to-face negotiations on Tuesday.Cargo volumes are somewhat lighter now as the trans-Pacific trade enters a seasonal slack period. However, since ILWU slowdowns continue to plague all of the West Coast ports, terminal operators have not been able to reduce the container backlogs.

        Truck turn times in Los Angeles-Long Beach, the largest U.S. container complex, have deteriorated. Some 39 percent of all truck visits to the harbor in November took two hours or longer to process, according to Val Noronha, president of Digital Geographic Research Corp. That was up from 36 percent in October, even though terminal operators last month extended their hours and staggered lunch breaks in an attempt to improve turn times, Noronha noted. Truckers consider anything longer than a one-hour turn time to be unacceptable.

        Vessels continued to be directed to anchor in both Southern California and the Pacific Northwest over the Thanksgiving weekend. The Marine Exchange of Southern California reported six container ships at anchor today which was one less than on Sunday. Some vessels were also required to wait at anchor outside of Seattle and Tacoma. In normal times, vessels proceed directly to berth upon arriving at port.

        The ILWU has engaged in work slowdowns since late October in an attempt to influence contract negotiations, the PMA stated. In the Pacific Northwest, the average container moves per crane, per hour, have dropped below 20 from the normal productivity in the high 20s, according to employers.In Southern California, the ILWU has contributed to deteriorating productivity in the container yards by purposely refusing to dispatch sufficient skilled equipment operators, the PMA stated. PMA numbers show that through mid-November, man-hours paid to longshoremen in Los Angeles-Long Beach each week were averaging 20 to 40 percent higher than in the corresponding week last year, even though container volumes were only slightly higher.

        ILWU spokesman Craig Merrilees said the PMA and ILWU were each meeting separately today, with direct negotiations scheduled to resume on Tuesday. The negotiations began in May, and the ILWU has been working without a contract since July 1 when the previous contract expired.