OAKLAND, Calif. — Efforts to start federal mediation for a U.S. port dispute that has stranded mountains of cargo on West Coast docks collapsed Tuesday after the longshoremen’s union stormed out of talks, accusing port employers of bringing “gun-toting thugs” to the meeting, according to Reuters.
A federal mediator later rebuked the port employers for bringing armed security guards to the talks, calling it inappropriate and a breach of bargaining protocol.
A spokesman for the port employers said the group wanted to get back to the negotiating table and would in the future follow the ground rules laid down by the federal mediator.
“While today’s development was unfortunate, I am pleased that the parties agreed to meet and that they came together this morning,” Peter Hurtgen, director of the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service said in a statement. “I remain hopeful that these negotiations can move forward.”
Earlier, International Longshore and Warehouse Union President James Spinosa had accused port employers of intimidation.
“It is totally out of line. This is nothing more than intimidation,” Spinosa said as he pulled his negotiating team out of the meeting with federal mediators in Oakland, California. “The meeting was called short because of the armed men.”
It was unclear if or when the discussion of possible federal mediation — urged by President Bush and a growing list of worried U.S. businesses — would resume.
Tuesday’s meeting, following a brief negotiating session Monday, was aimed at outlining a suggested framework for mediation of a labor dispute which has idled every major West Coast port and poses a growing threat to the U.S. economy.
The Pacific Maritime Association, which represents shipping companies and terminal operators at ports ranging from San Diego to Seattle, locked some 10,500 union workers out of the docks Sunday after accusing them of staging widespread work slowdowns as contract negotiations stalled.
The ILWU’s Spinosa said he was withdrawing from the preliminary talks after PMA representatives arrived at the meeting with two armed guards — described as “gun-toting thugs” by one union spokesman.
Spinosa said he would consult with his negotiating committee Tuesday on whether or not they would go ahead with a planned meeting with PMA officials Wednesday.
“We feel that this set of negotiations has taken a turn for the worse,” Spinosa said. “We are very, very far apart.”
The union said it would insist that future negotiating meetings take place between the two group’s executive committees, and that it had no intention of signing a contract extension — a key PMA condition for unlocking the ports.
PMA officials, for their part, said they would not change the negotiating team and that it appeared the talks scheduled for Wednesday would not happen.
“We have no idea if there is a meeting tomorrow,” PMA negotiator Tom Edwards told a news conference. “The talks right now are not going.”
GROWING RANCOR
The collapse of Tuesday’s mediation meeting marked a fresh setback in a port labor dispute, which has grown increasingly rancorous over the last several days.
President Bush said Tuesday he was concerned that the dock lockout could hurt the economy and urged the parties to use federal mediation to resolve their problems. Port managers estimate the shutdown is costing the U.S. economy as much as $1 billion per day.
“We’re worried about it,” he told reporters at the White House. “We’re closely monitoring it.
“There’s a federal mediator on the ground and I urge both parties to utilize the mediator,” Bush said. “We’re just going to have to get these parties to work through it, get back to work, open these ports up. It’s important for our economy to do so.”
Union officials said Tuesday they had no intention of going to Washington to continue discussions with federal mediators, although they did not permanently shut the door on possible mediation efforts.
The West Coast port lockout has raised fears that shipping could remain paralyzed for days or even weeks in the crucial run-up to the Christmas shopping season.
Labor analysts say any prolonged port disruption could force the administration to act. Bush has intervened or threatened to do so in several major labor disputes at major airlines, which eventually led to settlements.
Under the Taft-Hartley act, the White House has the authority to obtain an 80-day injunction against labor disruptions that could endanger “the national health or safety.”
NEW TECHNOLOGY THE KEY STICKING POINT
The U.S. port dispute hinges on the issue of new technology. Port employers say it is crucial to introduce innovations to maintain competitiveness and keep pace with rising cargo volumes.
The ILWU has resisted the technical changes as a possible threat to union jobs. On Monday it informed the employers’ group that the technology issue was effectively off the table.