WASHINGTON, D.C. — The following statement was issued today by Sonny Hall, President of the Transportation Trades Department, AFL-CIO, in the wake of President Bush improperly intervening in the ongoing collective bargaining situation on the West Coast docks.
“I am outraged that President Bush has chosen to intervene in the West Coast port negotiations. It is yet another reminder of where this administration stands – its unwavering allegiance to corporate America and its long-standing bias against working America.
“Like all transportation workers, the over 10,000 longshoremen on the West Coast want to work. They want to help move a nation and rebuild our economy. But the Pacific Maritime Association has fought them every step of the way, culminating in last week’s lockout.
“The International Longshore and Warehouse Union had agreed to federal mediation, hoping it would end the lockout and get both sides back to serious business at the bargaining table. The ILWU had even agreed to the mediator’s suggestion of a 7-day extension of their contract. But the PMA chose to stonewall and sabotage these good-faith efforts rather than re-open the ports.
“The Bush administration – which as early as July had been talking about military intervention to break the union – has long been on the side of management and the multinational corporations bankrolling the PMA rather than working to ensure that there is the level-playing field that is needed for both sides to reach a mutually-agreed upon contract. The White House pulled the plug on the mediator after only four days, negating the progress that had been made.
“The White House has done it again. They have never met a collective bargaining situation that they didn’t think they could tamper with on behalf of their friends. This is not how labor-management relations ought to be in this country, and the chilling effect of the President’s anti-worker actions will reach far beyond water’s edge.
“Transportation workers will long remember this day and where people stood.”
TTD represents 35 member unions in the longshore, maritime, bus, transit, aviation, trucking, highway, rail, and related industries. For more information, see www.ttd.org.