Goods flowed on schedule through the nation's largest port complex yesterday, as West Coast operators and union dockworkers stepped back from the brink of a major work stoppage. Business at West Coast
ports returns to normal
Star-Bulletin staff and news services
The Pacific Maritime Association, which represents 87 shipping companies and terminal operators, suspended its threat to lock out workers at the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach Thursday night after it said the union had ended a three-day slowdown at a Long Beach terminal.
The two ports were operating "relatively normally" yesterday, although cargo traffic was heavy and not all requests for labor could be filled, PMA spokesman Steve Sugerman said.
There were no reports of slowdowns at any other of the 29 West Coast ports, he said.
Officials of the two shipping lines that carry most of the mainland-Hawaii cargo, CSX Lines and Matson Navigation Co., said there were no disruptions yesterday and cargo was moving normally.
Matson had one containership, the Matsonia, leaving Oakland for Honolulu yesterday and another, Chief Gadao, was taking on cargo at Los Angeles and is due to sail for Honolulu today.
CSX Lines, formerly Sea-Land Service, has its CSX Navigator scheduled to sail to Honolulu from Long Beach today. All operations are normal, CSX said.
The International Longshore and Warehouse Union denied invoking any slowdowns and accused employers of manufacturing a crisis. Delays were the result of too much traffic and not enough skilled workers, the union said.
Union leaders accused the PMA of creating the backlog by advising shippers and retailers to move their goods early in case contract negotiations broke down. As a result, cargo volume is 15 percent above normal levels, but staffing numbers have not changed, the union said.
In San Francisco, negotiators for both sides returned to the bargaining table yesterday, after a session to discuss implementing new technology was canceled Thursday.
The parties still disagree on several issues, including technology, pensions and changes to the arbitration process, but said they were willing to continue meeting until an agreement is reached.
Port employers say new technology is needed to keep port operations competitive and keep up with rising cargo volume, but labor leaders fear the changes could cost union jobs.
The West Coast docks have not seen a strike since 1971, when dockworkers walked off the job for four months. The union staged slowdowns in 1996 and 1999, port employers said.
Most observers expect the White House to intervene to prevent any extended closure of the docks, which could rattle the still shaky U.S. economy and unsettle inter-national financial markets.
Pacific Maritime Association
International Longshore and Warehouse Union
