{"id":2463,"date":"2022-07-15T20:29:40","date_gmt":"2022-07-15T20:29:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bocintl.com\/web\/?p=2463"},"modified":"2022-07-18T15:42:14","modified_gmt":"2022-07-18T15:42:14","slug":"ilwu-pma-negotiations-rail-and-dockworker-labor-talk-white-house-involvement-german-port-strike-import-demand-not-dropping","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.bocintl.com\/web\/ilwu-pma-negotiations-rail-and-dockworker-labor-talk-white-house-involvement-german-port-strike-import-demand-not-dropping\/","title":{"rendered":"ILWU\/PMA Negotiations, Rail and Dockworker Labor Talk\/White House Involvement, German Port Strike, Import Demand Not Dropping?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

ILWU\/PMA Negotiations, Rail and Dockworker Labor Talk\/White House Involvement, German Port Strike, Import Demand Not Dropping?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

From Peter Tirschwell, Twitter (@petertirschwell):<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAmong sources close to the ILWU\/PMA negotiations there are strong differences of opinion. Some believe a deal will come quickly, as early as Aug, with minimal or no disruption, big pay increase & status quo on automation. Others are not nearly ready to jump to that conclusion.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

White House Keeping Distance from Critical Rail and Dockworker Labor Talks For Now<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Excerpted from Bloomberg.com<\/a>, July 13, 2022, by Augusta Saraiva and Ngai Yeung (Bloomberg)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The White House is monitoring labor talks in the logistics industry as unions representing 115,000 rail workers and 22,000 West Coast dockworkers negotiate fresh contracts, but won\u2019t get directly involved in either bargaining process now, its supply-chain envoy said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe administration is watching as closely as it can be watched without being a point of interference, which would not be appropriate,\u201d Stephen Lyons said in a virtual briefing<\/a> Wednesday. \u201cNegotiations are at a place where you\u2019d think the negotiation should be at this particular point.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Labor impasses are spreading across the US logistics network in the busiest months of the year for shipping, as retailers stock up on back-to-school and year-end holiday goods. Dock- and railroad-worker unions are currently negotiating contracts with employers, with the latter threatening to strike as soon as July 18. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Talks between the nation\u2019s largest railroads and workers \u2014 which started in January 2020 \u2014 are in a 30-day cool-off period after a union rejected a binding mediation offer from the National Mediation Board. Next, the Biden administration could appoint a presidential emergency board to resolve the dispute.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rail Congestion Threatens Nationwide Logjam, LA\u2019s Seroka Says<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve got to get these folks some wage increases; we\u2019ve got to address some of these issues,\u201d Lyons said, adding he doesn\u2019t want to get ahead of President Joe Biden as he makes a decision. \u201cWe\u2019ll see what happens on the 17th. But I do think there\u2019s a commitment there.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Contract Discussions<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Separately, the International Longshore and Warehouse Union and the Pacific Maritime Association, which represents about 70 employers, began discussing a new contract in May and are continuing to do so after their previous pact expired July 1. Officials from the ILWU and the PMA, which represents employers, met with Biden when he visited the Port of Los Angeles last month and have recently reaffirmed their commitment to keeping cargo moving despite the lack of a contract.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Any slowdown in operations at the two ports that are responsible for 42% of all containerized trade with Asia could stoke annual inflation that\u2019s running at the fastest pace since 1981, and damp economic growth. Biden, who\u2019s pledged to be the most pro-union president in US history, has directed Cabinet members and logistics-area experts to smooth out pandemic-era port logjams that spurred shortages and delays. Lyons and Labor Secretary Marty Walsh have been in touch with both parties, the port envoy said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Port of Los Angeles Kicks Off Peak Season with Record June<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Meanwhile, about 70,000 truck owner-operators in California \u2014 home to the nation\u2019s biggest port complex at Los Angeles and Long Beach \u2014 are now in limbo as a local gig-work law starts applying to them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

California\u2019s Assembly Bill 5 requires workers satisfy a three-part test to be considered independent contractors, or else be seen as employees entitled to job benefits. The state\u2019s truck owner-operators must now comply with AB5 after the Supreme Court on June 30 refused to review a case challenging the legislation that sets out the tests for employment-status classification.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018So Critical\u2019<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

On Wednesday, truckers demonstrated against the changes at the port gateways of Los Angeles, Long Beach and Oakland, according to the Harbor Trucking Association.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

L.A. operations weren\u2019t affected, and the port had planned for the protest days ahead Executive Director Gene Seroka said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe gave them the breadth and depth and space they needed to voice their opinions but kept this cargo moving; these drivers are very respectful of just that,\u201d Seroka said at the virtual briefing Lyons also attended. \u201cThey have a message to put out there and are continuing to do so. I applaud them for coming out here today.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Biden administration is still assessing the AB5 issue in California, Lyons said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe truckers are so critical to their supply chain \u2014 we\u2019ve got to make sure that we\u2019re setting the conditions to take care of them to the best of our ability.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

German Ports: Strike<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

There is a strike in the German ports for the third time within a few weeks. Against the backdrop of the ongoing collective bargaining negotiations, the service sector union ver.di has once again called on employees in the German seaports to take part in a warning strike. This was announced at short notice for the period from Thursday, July 14, 2022, with the start of the early shift until the end of the night shift on Friday, July 15, 2022 (end of the night shift on the morning of July 16, 2022). As a result of the expected work stoppages, significant disruptions to operations at the German seaports are to be expected. Please take this situation into account in your planning and disposition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We will continue to monitor the situation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

BOC and Gebr\u00fcder Weiss Air & Sea Team Germany<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

ILWU\/PMA Negotiations, Rail and Dockworker Labor Talk\/White House Involvement, German Port Strike, Import Demand Not Dropping? From Peter Tirschwell, Twitter (@petertirschwell): \u201cAmong sources close to the ILWU\/PMA negotiations there are strong differences of opinion. Some believe a deal will come quickly, as early as Aug, with minimal or no disruption, big pay increase & status<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[507],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2463","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-the-boc-blast"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bocintl.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2463","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bocintl.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bocintl.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bocintl.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bocintl.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2463"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.bocintl.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2463\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2478,"href":"https:\/\/www.bocintl.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2463\/revisions\/2478"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bocintl.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2463"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bocintl.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2463"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bocintl.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2463"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}