Port of Oakland terminal reopens after Monday closure

Oakland International Container Terminal was open for business Monday evening after a dispute about starting times shut the SSA Marine facility down during the day.    The Port of Oakland’s largest container terminal reopened Monday evening after a dispute between its operator and longshoremen over starting time shut it down during the day shift, the Northern California port said.
   Craig Merrilees, a spokesman for the International Longshore and Warehouse Union, told American Shipper 22 longshoremen at the Oakland International Container Terminal (OICT) were dismissed by SSA Marine after they arrived for work at the regular starting time stipulated in their contract instead of earlier as the company wanted. An additional 44 dockworkers at OICT also refused to work in solidarity with the 22 employees that were sent home.
   Merrilees said an arbitrator ruled later in the day that the 22 workers were improperly dismissed and would be made whole, but that the other 44 employees had acted improperly by also refusing to work.
   SSA said it is appealing yesterday’s ruling to a panel of three arbitrators today, but that operations has resumed last night.
   Mike Zampa, a spokesman for the port, said all Port of Oakland terminals were operating normally on Tuesday.