ILA Calls USMX Claims 'Inaccurate,' Urges Resumption of Bargaining

The International Longshoremen's Association said it's "discouraged" by the "take it or leave it" approach by the U.S. Maritime Alliance that it said resulted in the "abrupt" end of negotiations Aug. 22, but the union is "energized" by support from other unions. (For a summary of the USMX statement on the end of talks, see ITT's Online Archives 12082301).

ILA said it "regretted the inaccurate and misleading document USMX issued" after negotiations broke down, saying it was "meant to inflame the general public who has no knowledge of the longshore industry." It accused USMX of using an "incomplete picture to distort the wage and benefits structure."

With containerization, longshoremen were "faced with a huge displacement of workers whose jobs were eliminated by the ominous steel boxes," the ILA said. Despite that, ILA "agreed to allow containerization to flourish but negotiated a fee based on the weight of each loaded container to be used for annual payments to the longshore workers whose job opportunities had been compromised due to containerization," it said. "This payment is compensation for the job opportunities lost by permitting containerization."

ILA also said the coast-wide average of wages and benefits of $124,138 "focuses only on containerized cargo where wages and benefits are substantially higher" and doesn't include wages for break-bulk cargo. And it said the wage claims for the port of New York and New Jersey is based on high overtime, which the shippers prefer rather than additional regular time workers.

"USMX should stop the inflammatory rhetoric and return to the bargaining table with realistic demands," ILA said in a statement. "USMX should recognize that it cannot change overnight benefits that were achieved over many years of collective bargaining."