Category: Default

Seems like the Art of the Slow Down has once again paid off for the ILWU.

Word is that the parties are back at the bargaining table, and making progress, and equalization for crane operators is being discussed.

Once again the hall men are taking the hit for their Union.

In LA/LB the employers have started to order 6 men for 5 transtainers, out of the hall, while steady men are shifted to operate transtainers in pairs just like they always have.

The Employers continue to play the steadies against the hall men, and they are creating an even bigger rift in the membership over the use of steady men.

Bobby O Jr. told the membership at the Union meeting, that the transtainer cut backs are going to be just like the swing men cutbacks from the last contract, the union will eventually pressure the Employers to hire back the additional men, just hang in there, it will be ok.

Based on past experience, he is right.

The Art of the Slow Down is paying off again.

Go ILWU, or should I say Go Slow ILWU.

 

Local 23 President, Dean mcGrath, appeared a dispatch this morning to rally the membership and told them they were doing a good job.

Today’s game plan is to work normal at SeaLand and TOTE, as well as the logs, but to work safely at the container yards and against the rest of the container ships.

The chalk board at the Local 23 has 71-20 written on it, but the word of mouth says the members are shooting for 15 -17, which may explain why they keep getting sent home at noon.

The Journal of Commerce has started to notice the Seattle-Tacoma slow downs and associated back-ups, and question the ILWU/PMA bargaining model.

This morning the trucks in Tacoma are backed up all the way to the I5 freeway.

Wonder how long PMA is going to put up with this, and what they plan to do about it.

A contract would be nice, or maybe the California Locals will jump in and do something like call all the steady men back to the hall.

Very interesting.

 

About mid morning the PMA Employers in the Port of Tacoma shut down the ship loading and unloading at Evergreen and WUT, and shifted all the workers to the yard and rail operations that are continuing.

Interesting that the Employers would hang the hook and leave ships sitting idle at the dock.

They are up to something. What is it?

Local 23 has called a meeting at the Union Hall for noon.

What’s up Roger and Dean?

What does your secret plan call for next?

How about bring all the steady men back to the hall, for starters?

 

Poor little ILWU, are you upset that your “work safely” plan to pressure the Employers backfired because Dean mcGrath and Roger Boespflug got their Local 23 members too excited and they went too far, dropping production to 8 moves per hour?

The International’s press release makes the ILWU look like a bunch of sniveling cry babies, who got their hand caught in the cookie jar and are trying to blame everyone else for their screw up.

ILWU-press-release-11-3-14

Oakland has now joined the work safely program along with LA/LB, but the only ones that worked safely enough to get fired are in Tacoma.

PMA sent all the longshoremen in Tacoma home last night, right before lunch.

Dueling memos, what’s next?

Can you spell Taft-Hartley?

 

It has come to my attention that the main topic of last weeks emergency Local 13 Executive Board meeting was my little website, and how I get my information.

Bobby O and his “crew” made it clear that they are upset about the information my website presents, and barked claims that those who talk to me are destroying the union. At one point during the conversation Bobby stated that they would find out who was talking to me, and they would “demonize” who ever it is in front of the membership. The kiss of political death for who ever that is.

Bobby, in case you have not figured it out; there are no secrets on the waterfront, and your threats will no longer stop people from talking.

In the last 2 weeks this little website had over 10,000 page views, from over 1,800 unique visitors, who are interested in the truth.

All we are doing is holding up a mirror, if Local 13’s Officers don’t like what you see, don’t blame us.

Get your act together.

 

Simply put, the Call Girl Principle of negotiations says; the value of a service is greater before it has been rendered.

That’s the reason why the “girls” get the money up front. You would think that longshoremen would know more about this than your average bear.

With that in mind, why is Local 13 agreeing to give the PMA Employers training, when there is no contract?

If the PMA wants to conduct training, before they start, don’t they need a contract?

If the ILWU wants a contract, and the PMA wants training, then why aren’t they negotiating?

Why is Big Bob giving PMA training? What is he getting for that concession?

How does this fit into his secret plan to get PMA back to the table?

Come on Big Bob tell us, what the hell are you up to, or do you even know?

Local 13 Bulletin announcing contract training without a contract.  4000-bulletin-29-14

Care to splain, Big Bob?

 

 

Historically the business of loading and unloading ships is a cost plus based industry. The more longshoremen employed the more money made, which is why stevedore companies (not owned by steamship companies) do not mind adding extra men when “forced” to by the Union.

According to a recent JOC article the hours paid to longshoremen in LA/LB is up 20%. That means the profits of the employers of longshoremen is also up 20%, which is why you do not hear the PMA complaining about not having a contract.

The union is also happy without a contract, their hours are up 20%, and casuals are working every day.

Neither side is talking about what they are doing.

At this point they must be sawing sawdust. There is not that much to talk about, and they have been dong so since May 12th.

Big Bob and his crew has shown they are willing to go over 2 years without a contract, based on the recently ratified PNW Grain Agreement.

Will the PMA member companies customers allow PMA to drag this out for the next 2 years, until the ACA tax on benefits kicks in?

Or, is the entire Transportation Industry going to cry all the way to the bank?

 

The ILWU is so ashamed of their new PNW Grain Agreement, they refuse to discuss it and were said to be very upset that the press talked to me.

Looks like everything about their fancy new labor agreement is secret.

The Union spokesperson said I was “misinterpreting the contract, making a mountain out of a molehill, etc., because grain handlers have long used steady employees.”

Yes the Grain Companies have long used steady men, but the new Grain Agreement Sections 12.1 and 12.2 takes the dispatch hall out of the process and allows the Employer to reach out to any longshoreman, regardless or seniority, and offer them steady employment without posting any order with the hall. Taking the hall out of the process is significant. The shapeup is back for the first time since it was eliminated by the strike in 1934. Did they think we would forget why the ILWU was formed in the first place?

When questioned by the reporter, the ILWU spokesman issued the following statement: “The union doesn’t choose any steady men anywhere and never has.”

Smoke and mirrors, lies and deception, more answers that don’t answer, all part of the secret society of the ILWU.

The ILWU is so proud of their new Grain contract that they refuse to respond to the reporters request to compare the previous contract with the new one.

Shame on you Leal and Roger, you sold out the hall.

Tentative Grain Handlers Agreement 8-11-14

 

According to Local 13 Bulletin #25, the Grain Agreement was ratified with 88.4% of the members voting yes. (1,475 yes, 193 no, total 1,668)

Sounds impressive, 88.4% yes makes it sound like the longshoremen overwhelmingly approved the agreement.

Lets look at the facts. According to PMA the number of registered workers in each of the Locals who were allowed to vote is as follows:

• Local 4 – Vancouver, WA   –  194
• Local 8 – Portlandia, OR    –  441
• Local 19 – Seattle, WA        –  839
• Local 21 – Longview, WA   –  252
• Local 23 – Tacoma, WA      –  823

That is a total of 2,549 registered members eligible to vote, of which 1,668 voted. That means 65% of the eligible members voted.

1,475 of the 2,549 voted yes, so 57% of the eligible voters, voted yes.

There are 11,342 registered members in the bargaining unit, of which 1,668 voted. Than means 14.7% of the eligible members voted.

1,475 of the 11,342 voted yes, so 13% of the bargaining unit voters, voted yes.

What that says to me is that 13% of the bargaining unit approved a Grain Agreement.

A historically bad Agreement, of which the UCLA Center for Social Theory and Comparative History says;

“The ILWU’s accord with the PNGHA would give back to the employers virtually all of the gains in work rules and shop floor powers that the union had wrung from them during many decades of struggle in northwest grain, as well as in longshore.

The union would lose control over the hiring hall, the foundation of its power. The companies would get to hire from a list of workers that they had pre-approved.”

The once mighty “democratic” ILWU is now being run (into the ground) by 13% of the members, and leadership that lies like rugs.

Too bad, so sad; Harry would be very disappointed to see what his Union has become.

UCLA article on Grain Agreement

Local13-bulletin-25-14

 

In 2008 the parties recognized that the Industry Arbitrators were not qualified to decide discrimination and harassment cases under Section 13.2 of the PCLCD and agreed to change the contract as follows:

Page 12, item VII A, of the July 1, 2008 Memorandum of Understanding states:

Section 13.2 Addendum shall be amended as follows:

“A panel of neutral professional labor arbitrators shall hear all Section 13.2 cases. Appeals shall continue to be filed with the Coast Appeals Officer. The use of professional arbitrators shall be subject to review and continuation upon JCLRC agreement annually.”

For unexplained reasons, the agreed to changes in the Section 13.2 discrimination procedure did not make it into the published contract document and to-date the parties have failed to implement the agreed to language.

It is time to do what was agreed to in 2008.

it is time to fire “Judge Roy Bean Miller” and the rest of the unqualified Industry Arbitrators, and fix the Section 13 discrimination grievance procedure.