On Monday the 13 of March the PMA once again went outside the contract and took local 13 to Federal Court.
We were found guilty of an illegal work stoppage and a slow down and the court issued a Temporary Restraining Order against local 13 and ordered the membership to cease and desist.
On Wednesday the 22 March local 13 went back to Federal Court and requested that the TRO (temporary restraining order) be lifted, the court ruled against local 13 and stepped up the order to the next stage and issued a Preliminary Injunction which means that the court is now in charge when it comes to any accusations by PMA of a slow down or if PMA accuses local 13 of an illegal work stoppage it means, that the PMA will march right to Federal Court to sanction local 13, bypassing the PCLCD grievance procedure in section 17. As reported in local 13’s bulletin.
In 1998 PMA took local 13 to US District Court and local 13 sought dismissal of a Pacific Maritime Association lawsuit that asked for a “Special Master” to be appointed to oversee waterfront disputes between the union and management. This would of if the courts agreed with PMA request thrown out section 11 and 17 of the PCLCD. Read those sections so you understand PMA motives.
Their plan was to ( PMA) have the US District Court name a “Special Master” who would quickly step in to settle disputes. The court could levy monetary penalties on the union and its leaders personally if they failed to comply.
The PMA accused local 13 of ’lawlessness’ and `quasi-criminal activities’. The PMA in effect was asking the court to rewrite the ILWU contract. We won this case as I reported to you in 1999 and the judge Christina A. Snyder dismissed the case.
As you can see by now the PMA is trying to get the courts to give them what they could not get at the bargaining table. The PMA is not working in good faith by running to court, we have a grievance procedure in the PCLCD which the PMA did not use concerning the reasons they took us to court.
Well what’s next?
Frats
Scotty
