Calls for President Obama to appoint a Federal Mediator increase as the G6 Alliance is suspends one service into Los Angeles for four weeks in January.
On December 3 G6 Alliance member APL issued the following notice:
"Please be informed that in view of the ongoing congestion at the Port of Los Angeles, the G6 Alliance, of which APL is a member, will be omitting calls to this port on the Pacific-Atlantic 1 (PA1) eastbound service for four consecutive weeks, starting with the Singapore Express (v.047E, ETA Port of Los Angeles on Jan 1, 2015).
We regret any inconvenience caused and seek your understanding on this necessary move to avoid impact to the overall schedule integrity and reliability of the PA1 service."
Not long after the Executive Directors of Long Beach and Los Angeles added their support to calls for President Obama to intervene in the contract negotiations between the Pacific Maritime Association (PMA) and the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) and appoint a Federal mediator. There are no signs, however, that such an action is imminent.
Both sides at the table have so far refrained from commenting on the issues preventing an agreement being reached, but it is clear that automation is a major stumbling block. Prior to the contract expiry TraPac had, it is understood, dealt with the labour issues regarding its automation plans directly with the ILWU local units concerned, without PMA involvement.
In the context of a coast wide contract negotiation all these issues are on the table, and the ILWU is taking a much stronger position on matters like manning levels for remotely operated cranes, work rules around lashing platforms and access to reefer areas.
Though the parties have kept it quiet, the automated area of TraPac's terminal (but not the whole facility) was closed down for almost a month in October while an independent consultant reviewed its operating and safety procedures. Though the report has not been made public it apparently identified several areas where TraPac's plans were inadequate from a safety perspective.
Another sticking point is likely to be reconciling manning levels and operating procedures between the LBCT and TraPac terminals. LBCT, for example, has a checker cab on the STS crane leg where an ILWU worker will check conning personnel are clear before allowing an STS crane spreader into the working zone. TraPac was, it is believed, planning on using sensor technology for this function along the same lines as European terminals do today.
These and other details like exactly how the road truck interchange under an automated crane should operate are significant issues for both sides. They are the type of decisions that will play a large roll in defining the workforce as more terminals automate.
Though there has been no comment from either side, achieving a negotiated position on issues like whether a work procedure is safe is a very difficult thing to do. PMA members will obviously be looking to avoid creating new roles to supervise and monitor automated equipment, while the ILWU will be trying to minimise the impact of automation on its membership.
Neither side has publicly called for a Federal mediator to help the process. However, actions like the G6 suspending a call for four weeks add to the pressure on the Obama administration not to let the dispute drag on too much longer.
You just read one of our articles for free
To continue reading, subscribe to WorldCargo News
By subscribing you will have:
- Access to all regular and exclusive content
- Discount on selected events
- Full access to the entire digital archive
- 10x per year Digital Magazine
SUBSCRIBE or, if you are already a member Log In
Having problems logging in? Call +31(0)10 280 1000 or send an email to customerdesk@worldcargonews.com.
