Walkout Shuts Down Oakland Port
The July 6 action apparently originated with Local 10 of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union in San Francisco. The port includes 12 cargo terminals serving 33 shipping lines.
Should the stoppage spread to other West Coast ports, it could idle thousands of workers who help ship and process cargo at inland warehouses and cost the nation billions of dollars in lost commerce, according to officials of the Pacific Maritime Association, which represents management at all West Coast ports.
"None of our customers are able to conduct business," said Port of Oakland spokeswoman Roberta Bradley. "I understand it stemmed from local issues but may affect national negotiations."
The maritime association said it made its offer July 3, just before negotiations ended for the Fourth of July holiday, with an understanding they would resume this week.
"We haven’t heard from the union," said Phil Resch, the association’s senior vice president. "We have called all day today to talk to the international, and they have not returned our calls."
Union officials, whose members have been working without a contract since July 1, did not return calls seeking comment.
In Los Angeles and Long Beach, the nation’s busiest ports, there were minor slowdowns at some terminals, but work was not seriously affected, Resch said. There was no report of slowdowns in San Diego or Seattle.
2003
