Longshore labor disruption at the Port of Los Angeles may end today

The strike initiated yesterday by more than 70 International Longshore and Warehouse Union Local 63 Office Clerical Unit (“OCU”) against APM Terminals at the Port of Los Angeles is entering a new stage of arbitration. Meanwhile, operations remain stymied.

“We know that both sides understand the critical importance of keeping cargo moving through the San Pedro Bay complex and we urge them to work diligently toward finding a mutually agreeable solution,” said port spokesman, Phillip Sanfield.

Currently the strike is isolated to one terminal, APM Terminals at Pier 400. All other operations are operating normally. There are two ships at APM that are not being worked on due to the strike.

According to the ILWU, Clerical workers went on strike at Pier 400 in the “to stop international corporations from outsourcing dozens of good-paying jobs that support working families in the Harbor community.”
The Los Angeles/Long Beach Harbor Employees Assocation said, however, that the employers have offered complete protection against outsourcing by providing an absolute guarantee that no OCU workers will be laid off for the term of the new agreement. 

“Every regular OCU worker has a guaranteed job under the contract offered by the employers,” they said in a statement.

The employers maintained that they have also offered the OCU guaranteed pay of 40 hours a week (37.5 hours for six of the employers) for 52 weeks a year, whether there is work to do or not. 

“The employers have no incentive to outsource OCU work when they are obligated to pay OCU employees whether there is work to do or not,” they added.