PMA vows no union troubles in 2008

PMA vows no union troubles in 2008 The president of a group representing shipping lines, ports and stevedoring companies vowed Tuesday that there would be no repeat of the 2002 labor dispute when the West Coast longshore worker contract runs out next year.
   Negotiations on the contract should begin early and be resolved by the end of this year, said Jim McKenna, president of the Pacific Maritime Association, which represents industry in labor negotiations with the International Longshore and Warehouse Union.
   McKenna, speaking at the seventh Annual Trans-Pacific Maritime conference in Long Beach, said an agreement was necessary to send a message that the 27 West Coast ports were ready for the next surge in cargo.
   Talks during the 2002 contract negotiations broke down and led to an employer lockout of workers that shut down West Coast ports for 11 days, diverted cargo to competing ports and cost the U.S. economy an estimated $15 billion. The Bush administration eventually invoked the Taft-Hartley Act to end the lockout.
   “Impeding commerce will be viewed as intolerable,” McKenna said, noting the Bush intervention in 2002. “Now, people understand the importance of the ports to the national economy. The closer we come to the end of this contract without an agreement, the more the phone lines from Washington to us will be burning up.”
   The PMA's call for early talks has fallen on apparent deaf ears. The ILWU has traditionally opposed negotiations conducted outside established procedures and schedules. They have issued no official response to the PMA's request. The Los Angeles Times reported that a statement from union headquarters in San Francisco made it clear that the union wouldn’t be rushed.