West Coast ILWU Local 63 OCU Contract Negotiations
The negotiations are not going well, to put it mildly. The employer group, The Harbor Employers, fueled by two decisions by the area arbritrator in their favor, is taking a more vigorous stand on their demands. They have amassed a news media blitz including full page ads in local newspapers, touting their wage and benefit offers by stating half truths about their offers as they brand the OCUs as greedy, spoiled and totally self serving. Each wage and job security offer the employers have put on the table have many strings attached and caveats that negate any semblance of job security that may be contained in their offers. With regard to the OCUs wanting to negate the implementation of new technology, nothing is further from the truth. The OCUs want to be a part of the new technology, not hinder it. Currently the companies use slick and clever means to preclude the OCUs from being integrated into the new technology, making sidestepping OCUs a part of their daily regime. The employers want to use outdated, prior contract language from 2004 for current technology implementation guidelines. The OCUs want update the language to reflect the recent explosion of technology and changing business practices during the past 6 years in an attempt to integrate them into the new technology, keeping those jobs here, not outsourced to some foreign entity.
Currently, OCU employees at three terminals are on strike. Picket lines have been set up at 5 terminals, manned by the entire OCU membership. Because of the Arbitrator’s rulings, the other port area ILWU locals(13,63 and 94) are not permitted to honor the OCU picket line. The lack of support action by the other locals severally hampers the efforts of the OCUs. There are meetings scheduled this weekend and we expect more employer actions and responses from the OCUs We hope the tide will turn and negotiations return to serious, meaningful bargaining.