PMA HOLDS FIRM FOR TAFT-HARTLEY, SAYS ILWU BID FOR A 30-DAY CONTRACT EXTENSION ISN’T ENOUGH

PMA HOLDS FIRM FOR TAFT-HARTLEY, SAYS ILWU BID FOR A 30-DAY CONTRACT EXTENSION ISN’T ENOUGH

PMA HOLDS FIRM FOR TAFT-HARTLEY, SAYS ILWU BID FOR A 30-DAY CONTRACT EXTENSION ISN’T ENOUGH

   The Pacific Maritime Association, through Joe Miniace, its president and chief executive officer, said on Tuesday that President Bush’s    “tough” decision to ask for a Taft-Hartley injunction “insures the involvement of the mediator on all issues.
   “Neither the PMA or the International Longshore & Warehouse Union (ILWU) have the option during the period to refuse mediation,” Miniace said.
   The ILWU’s offer earlier on Tuesday for a 30-day contract extension “is nothing but a band-aid on a serious wound,” Miniace said.
   A source in the port of Oakland told AS+ that the PMA would likely reopen terminals Tuesday evening. ILWU crews were said to be at the port’s gates to work the night shift.