On 10/18/97, at 2:21 PM, Sam Lanfranco <LABOR-L@YORKU.CA wrote:

The United States and Japan have been in negotiations this weekend to avoid a trade dispute based on U.S. shipping interest's and their complaints about access to Japanese ports. It is interesting to contrast this 'dispute', which is centered on the interests of U.S. shipping companies, with the on-going disputes which centre on the interests of dock workers.

The US dispute with Japan is based on U.S. shipping company claims that the Japanese agency which regulates port access discriminates against U.S. ships. It is also based on a U.S. effort to curb the power of Japanese dock worker unions and is couched in a call for 'competition' with regard to docking practices in Japan.

The U.S. government has entered the fray by first levying a 'fine' against Japanese shippers and threatening to ban Japanese ships from U.S. ports. The episode is one more 'brick' in the wall of evidence to support the contention that U.S. support for 'free' trade and 'competition' is not support for 'fair trade'. It is support to strengthen the position of powerful shipping companies and weaken the position of labour.

It will be interesting to see how the U.S. government responds if Japanese shipping interests pursue efforts to 'punish' west coast U.S. and Canadian labour for turning away one ship in a labour dispute, when the U.S. was prepared to close down Japanese access to U.S. ports in the interests of U.S. shipping companies.

When the U.S. talks about a 'level playing field' for international trade, this shipping dispute demonstrates clearly that the 'playing field' is reserved for the owners of capital and, level or not, it is not for the owners of labour.

The labour of port workers is treated as part of the 'land fill', crushed and ground down, to insure that shippers get the trade regime they want. The lesson in all of this is that labour should see the U.S. actions as a 'green light' with regard to obstructing shipping in the interests of labour. If the strategy is acceptable for the shippers, it is acceptable for labour.

Sam Lanfranco <lanfran@yorku.ca>