This is a copy of a letter circulated on the Seattle waterfront after a meeting of the Port of Seattle commission.
On August 9 2001, the Port of Seattle tried to secretly transfer the control of its container cranes to Stevedoring Services of America! Port Managers Steve Sewell, Mark Knudsen, Mic Dinsmore, and Lou Pizano tried to transfer public control to the giant monopoly in a quietly scheduled Port commissioners meeting. In a series of lies and twisted facts, the managers made a motion to transfer the public’s assets. They lied to the commission saying that the unions would not negotiate and that they were losing money. In one breath, the Port staff told commissioners that they had lost 2.5 million on the cranes, and in another informed them that they had made 7 million on crane rentals. Their books show crane maintenance spending did not exceed their budget even though there was testimony stating that they artificially pushed up crane maintenance spending to try show a loss during the review period. In their motion they blatantly stated that they had already negotiated a contract change with SSA. They testified that they had completed contract changes before even asking the commission for their permission. Looks like the tail is wagging the dog at the Port.
What was extremely disturbing was that the commission never asked POS staffers any questions on the impact of the decision. It was obvious the decisions were made earlier in one of their secret meetings! This meeting seemed to be only window dressing, the attempt at a quiet public disclosure of a private decision!
Their loss figures which started at.5 million in union discussions escalated to the most recent 2.5 million as they tried to fortify their position. The year 2000 annual statement published by the Port of Seattle shows a large profit and reduced maintenance costs! This all seems to go along with facts that were uncovered. State auditors made a sample auditing of some of the Ports books in 1999 and found them a mess. The Port responded with a series of excuses but acknowledged their bookkeeping fiasco.
A consulting group was hired in 1998 by the Port to investigate Crane maintenance costs, they issued their findings in a review called the Chockie report in which their independent researcher reached the conclusion that Marine maintenance books and methods of accounting were so bad that they had no idea how much crane maintenance really costs. It went on to say that their management methods added to the costs they had. These are the same figures and extrapolations of these figures they are now using to make their claims. The consultants were promptly let go and the report with its recommendations were shelved by the same Marine manager that workers have accused of knowingly supplying skewed financial information that does not represent true costs to her superiors and the commission. Lindsay Pulsifer participated in the Chockie review she knows the numbers are wrong, they flat out told her in writing. Testimony also revealed that Lindsay and Port staff deliberately deceived the commission on the number of jobs that would be impacted by a decision to privatize.
Port workers contend that her alliance to the privatization push is based on a personal vendetta to eliminate the crane maintenance crews at any cost.
Crane maintenance stood up to her when she terminated Arturo Martinez, a Hispanic millwright by sending a petition to the Port commission signed by all workers. The petition stated the facts, that Arturo was terminated because of racial prejudice. Lindsay issued statements justifying his termination while hiring a friend of Arturo’s crew chief, the source of many of the racial slurs to replace Arturo. Recently Arturo was rehired but only with his coworker’s support and legal action. As a result, Lindsay suffered the embarrassment of the reversal of her actions and the exposing of the racial prejudice in her department. Maintenance workers also exposed her decisions on crane repair that nearly cost the lives of three workers when the boom of one of the container cranes came crashing down causing over 1.5 million in damages. Subsequently the Port was fined by Labor and Industries for her actions. Lindsay sat in the meeting quiet and red faced behind her superiors.
Organized labor, citizens, workers, and community leaders who were made aware of the proceedings just days before it was to happen gathered to protest the decision that apparently was made months even years prior to this meeting. In fact community members have shared information they were privy to several years ago, that the Port was going to give unions an offer they could not take so they would have an excuse to transfer the public’s assets to Stevedoring Services of America.
The community had to force the Port commission to listen using a little old good fashioned civil disobedience to counter threats and severe limitations to speech set by Port commission president Clare Nordquist. He threatened to turn off the microphones and refused to allow testimonies and questions to be completed. He looked around the room as if asking the Police officers that rimmed the chambers standing with their arms crossed to step in and help, none responded. During testimony, he shuffled papers, got up and walked around, poured drinks, chatted and laughed with Mic. He even turned his back to those testifying refusing to listen. During the course of one citizen testimony Nordquist was asked a question, not only did he not know the answer but he could not even repeat the question! He was not about to listen. The commissioner’s chamber was very hot, stuffy, and filled with the earthy odors that accompany hard work. Alan Darr, Local 302 got himself a paper cup of water, we were all parched and suffering from the heat. It was if the air conditioning was turned off in an effort to shorten the meeting. A Port staff member rushed over and demanded that he turned over the cup of water to her. Only Port managers and commissioners were allowed any relief from the stifling heat, with their unending supply of ice water. Another attempt by the Ports staff to stop or minimize the testimony. Port staffers sheepishly laughed as they were revealed as liars, they told the Ports crane maintenance workers whose average age is over 50 and combined experience on the Ports container cranes nearly exceeds one half of a millennium, yes almost 500 years of expertise that they could just find other jobs! Women and men that have dedicated their lives and careers on ensuring the safe operation of the Ports equipment. A diverse and dedicated workforce whose work ethics and devotion has enabled the Ports thirty year old cranes to operate safely with 99% availability. An aging workforce to be put on the streets, families without a wage earner, hopes, dreams, and futures smashed by the Ports attempt to satisfy corporate greed! In a massive show of indignation, the public refused to be quieted by the arrogant Port commission President Clare Nordquist. There was standing ovation after standing ovation for the citizen testimony. At one point Clare told the public that “THEY” were nice enough to let them in “THEIR” building, the room erupted in outrage. Not one voice was heard for privatization other than the Port managers who supported the corporate giveaway.
Port staff and commissioners were reminded that they were under mandate by the Ports charter which was created by the voters of King County to protect the public’s assets from monopolies like SSA. Community leaders, labor leaders, and workers were treated with utter contempt by the Port of Seattle commission’s president while the highest paid state employee Mic Dinsmore sat with an angry scowl as his staff members waited on him hand and foot. Mic and his staff were asked how they could justify their 18% pay increases this year. That does not include matching 401 funds and we know Mic receives a tax- free $50,000 bonus into his deferred comp account every year while he lets shipper after shipper escape to the Port of Tacoma. Mic refused to answer! Mic was told that if someone should lose their job it should be him and his managers. Speaker after speaker relayed the facts to the commission, facts that Port managers seemed to have forgotten or done their best to hide. It was an embarrassing day for Port of Seattle commissioners and managers as they were forced to realize that everyone knew what they were really trying to do! Some of the underhanded and illegal tactics were revealed but a forced limit of 3 minutes to citizen speakers and the Ports refusal to transfer the meeting to a location that would accommodate the hordes that were locked outside limited the public’s outcry!
At one point commissioner, Jack Block was questioned about his involvement with SSA. He was asked about his guaranteed 50 hours a week of third shift foremen’s wages that SSA pays him while he makes decisions that greatly benefit SSA financially. He was informed that there were many witnesses to him degrading Port maintenance workers and lobbying against them in an effort to undermine them in the eyes of the Port, citizens, and other workers. Jack said he was thinking that he might not vote on the issue. He was told that even if he did not vote that he had already used his influence to poison the minds of the other commissioners and influence them to vote in a way that would greatly benefit his employers. Jack was informed that the maintenance crew would hold him liable for his actions and would pursue it in a court of law. We also feel he violated the Port of Seattle’s code of ethics but he definitely is not alone in that respect.
Fortunately, at the end of the day, the outcome was not as Lindsay and the rest of the staff had planned. There were commission members that actually listened. Port managers were not able to complete their scheme to violate the public’s trust. The Port of Seattle commission reacting to the outrage expressed by 100% of the community speakers and what we believe was the seed of doubt placed in their minds to the motives and truthfulness of the Ports managers, took a step backwards and agreed to a thirty day extension for more communication before voting on the Port managers demands.
As usual, the Port managers have used the Ports influence and the business community’s fear of displeasing the Port to limit the news coverage and force-feed their propaganda to the public. The workers and citizens have very few avenues or arenas to expose what is really happening and the Port continues to operate under the radar screen. We do expect the Seattle Weekly provide some revealing coverage so be sure to read every issue. We need all the help we can get to expose what is really happening at the Port and how they really treat their workers. Talk to everyone you know, call or write your Port commissioners, contact your public officials. Let them know how you feel and what you know! Tell them no more privatization, protect our public assets. Remind them we are the voters! Tell them to stop Port managers efforts to give away more of the citizens assets and eliminate our jobs. Show the Port they have to answer to the citizens!
We all should be saying “shame on you Port of Seattle”.
