The Pacific Maritime Association suspended cargo loading in the Long Beach and Los Angeles ports over the weekend, according to International Longshore and Warehouse Union.
“After three months of union slowdowns, it makes no sense to pay extra for less work,” PMA Spokesman Wade Gates said in a press release on Thursday. “Especially if there is no end in sight to the union’s actions, which needlessly brought West Coast ports to the brink of gridlock.”
According to the PMA press release, companies that are members of the PMA will no longer pay workers “premium pay for diminished productivity.”
Congressman Alan Lowenthal released a statement in response to the PMA standstill on Thursday, saying that he is “deeply discouraged” by the decision.
“Discontinuing calls for labor over the weekend is not going to make the situation at any facility better,” Lowenthal said. “It also is not going to improve the atmosphere at the negotiating table.”
Congressman Ted Lieu also issued a statement on Saturday, stating that the shutdown will not resolve any contract disagreements as well as harm ILWU workers, businesses, consumers and the local economy.
“PMA’s shutdown action is especially counterproductive when the parties seem close to resolving the remaining issues between them,” Lieu said in the statement. “I condemn the weekend lockout and urge PMA to focus their efforts at resolving this impasse at the negotiating table, rather than hurting businesses, consumers and working families.”
Accompanying the announcement to shut down the ports this weekend, PMA President and CEO James McKenna released a video supporting the association’s decision.
“PMA has concluded that the latest offer is as far as we can go at this point,” McKenna said in the video. “Now the PMA must decide how long we are going to pay long shore workers to work slowly. These slowdowns are having the same result as a workers’ strike, except the workers are still getting a paycheck.”
McKenna said in the video that original contract agreements between ILWU and PMA stated workers be paid $147 thousand annually, included fully paid healthcare. PMA has since offered to raise wages to over $160 thousand annually and guarantees 40 hours a week for each worker.
The Southern California ports hosts 9 million jobs and $2 trillion jobs annually, McKenna said in the video. He also said that the ports are responsible for 12 percent of the United States’ gross domestic product.
Senator Isadore Hall released a statement on Friday, saying that she is “extremely concerned and disappointed” in PMA’s decision.
“The PMA has entered into a very dangerous and unnecessary game,” Hall said. “California’s and the United States’ economic security is no game – it is central to our national security and to the economic wellbeing of nations and continents throughout the world.”
PMA announced that the suspension would last from 5 p.m. on Friday until 8 a.m. on Monday. The ILWU statement indicated that only dock and military work, perishables and cruise ships were permitted to continue working out of West Coast docks.
