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Shipping lines shut West Coast portsMaritime Association: Cost could be $1 billion daily
SAN FRANCISCO, California (AP) -- Longshoremen were locked out all West Coast ports Saturday as a labor dispute between shippers and the dock worker's union grew into a disruption that prevented millions of dollars in goods from reaching shore. The one-day "cooling-off" period in contract negotiations came after the Pacific Maritime Association, which represents shipping lines and terminal operators, accused the longshoremen's union of a work slowdown to gain leverage in the increasingly acrimonious talks. The association's board unanimously agreed Friday to shutter the ports from 6 p.m. PDT until 8 a.m. PDT Sunday (9 p.m. Saturday to 11 a.m. Sunday EDT). Both sides were to meet Saturday afternoon. The disruption could deal an immediate blow to the United States economy and curtail the flow of products from the Pacific Rim just as importers are rushing to distribute goods for the holiday season. The association has said that a coastwide labor disruption could cost the economy around $1 billion per day. West Coast ports handle more than $300 billion in imports and exports each year. The Bush administration urged both sides to resolve the dispute, but said it would not intervene to keep the docks open. "At this point, we are hopeful the two parties will come back to the bargaining table in good faith," Department of Labor spokeswoman Sue Hensley said. "We are monitoring this very closely." Tech implementation
Talks, ongoing for months, crumbled this week over the question of how to implement new technology. The International Longshore and Warehouse Union wants guarantees that positions created by technological advances are union-covered, while the association says the union shouldn't dictate that it gets every job created by new technology. The union Thursday told the 10,500 workers it represents at all 29 major Pacific ports to work in strict accordance with all safety and health rules. The association said longshoremen were slowing the pace of work at ports in Los Angeles; Oakland, California; Portland, Oregon; Seattle and Tacoma, Washington; and had lowered productivity as much as 90 percent. Association president Joseph Miniace called the lockout "a very, very tough decision," but one that shipping lines and terminal operators had to make because of provocations from the union. "It's the very last thing we wanted to do," Miniace said. "But the union forced us into this." A union spokesman said the association was acting alone and that union negotiators wanted to keep talking. "Miniace showed the same disrespect for the union he has since the beginning of these talks," union President James Spinosa said. "He is unilaterally taking the action of closing all ports and bears full responsibility for its effects on the American economy." Copyright 2002 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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