The Souse Brothers Barges used to be with the PMA until about 2&1/2 years ago. They still hire Longshoreman, but no clerks. And to keep the work we had to lose manning to keep a “working” foreman/walkingboss. Of course they don’t work, but what the hell, they pay one individual that does nothing (ah excuse me he makes out the payroll, the supercargo did this before but in talks with Souse their being on the payroll couldn’t be justified so they were unceremoniously dumped) as much as all of the rest of the labor.
My local leaders told me that Spinner came up with a barge agreement for new work that the work is suppose to rotate between the the entities, i.e. Longies, Clerks, Foreman/Walkers. All of the work for one barge rotates from hall to hall, one time the longies get it, the next the clerks, then the Foreman/Walkers. The reasoning was that the foreman/walkers and clerks wont take it so it will “trickle” down to the longshore hall.
Talking to a barge overseer from Souse he told me if that happens and they have to wait for their labor they’ll dump us and go non-union. As far as I know this has not been implemented and I do not know if there’s plans to implement it in the future. If they do the longies from low work opportunity ports will take it in the ass once more as they do most of this type of work. The work ethic of the longies from these ports are the only reason that Souse didn’t go non-union completely.
The reason that Souse wanted out was that they were controlled by the steamship lines (Maersk, APL, Matson, Sealand). Constrain of trade was the term that they used I believe. So now that Maersk has bought Sealand, Matson has been stagnate for years now (no new business, their need to re-tool there operation, old equipment that needs to be replaced, things that they have or are working on etc.) and APL WILL leave the PMA as soon as they can (with the help of our International Officers I might add), that leaves Maersk as the main player.
For we might not know the power structure of the PMA it has been obvious that the Steamship lines have a much more larger say so than the stevedore companies (i.e. SSA, MTC, Jones, (the majority it would seem, etc). This in turn could cause other so leave the PMA at their first opportunity. When you factor in that 30% of us are employed by NON-PMA members at any given time this could spell the doom for the PMA as we know it. Which would leave us in a world of shit.
We need to maintain control of OUR docks. Did anyone see how much control we had when we worked safe?? We controlled EVERYTHING!! Even the media, though it may not have seemed that way when you don’t talk to them it drives them nuts, then they start making up shit, then you expose them for the employer lap-dog scum that they are. When we control OUR docks we control the PMA. We control Miniace that way.
He even put in a LOU that states that we will not get a retroactive raise if they see any type of a work slow-down or us working safe (and he gets to decide this by the way). With that you can see how much he wants his power back. We had him at the contract talks and let him re-gain control. With this contract you give him more control. The choice is ours. Your future for years to come rest in your vote in this contract. Lets send them back to SF with what we want in this contract. Not what our boys in the international are willing to settle for. The power is yours for the taking. If we are not blinded by fear we can change this.
Tim 35181
