While labor disruptions at U.S. West Coast ports are not the only cause of congestion, dockside labor can do much to alleviate the pressure by simply putting in a day’s work. At the same time, International Longshore and Warehouse Union leadership should agree to a contract extension until a final deal is made with the Pacific Maritime Association.
The ILWU’s deliberate “slowdown actions” threaten West Coast port competitiveness, and are complicating an already challenging holiday shipping season. In the meantime, ILWU and PMA representatives continue to meet daily in contract negotiations.
The PMA is asking the ILWU to agree to a temporary contract extension so that Beneficial Cargo Owners (BCOs), truck drivers, and other stakeholders may be spared ongoing hardship. This argument is especially persuasive when one considers just how well longshoremen are compensated:
*ILWU workers receive a compensation package that is among the most lucrative among all blue-collar workers in the United States. Full-time workers earn an average of $147,000 annually in wages, along with a non-wage benefits package costing more than $82,000 per active worker per year.
*The ILWU benefits package includes fully paid health care for workers, retirees and their families with no premiums, no in-network deductibles and 100 percent coverage of basic hospital, medical and surgical benefits.
*Prescription drugs are covered for $1 per prescription; dental and vision care are provided to workers, retirees and their families at little or no cost.
Collective bargaining gains have helped the ILWU enormously over the years, but all of that may be put in jeopardy if shippers put less cargo on West Coast docks in future years.
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