Shipping lines are starting to worry that a 3-week-old strike by independent truckers at Canada's Port of Vancouver could kindle similar problems at U.S. West Coast ports. The Vancouver strike migrated across the U.S. border this week, causing sporadic interruptions in cargo handling at the Port of Seattle.
The Teamsters union, which has been trying to organize independent drivers in the Seattle area, set up informational pickets at the port. The picket lines were honored by a number of drivers as well as by Local 52 of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union.
The Pacific Maritime Association, which represents shipping lines and terminal operators, won an arbitrator's ruling that ILWU marine clerks had to return to work. But by midafternoon, many container terminals in Seattle had experienced some downtime. "Cargo was moving, but with interruptions," said port Imbert Matthee, a port spokesman.
The Teamsters' pickets moved from terminal to terminal, and there were rumors that the action could shift to the neighboring Port of Tacoma. The situation in Tacoma is somewhat different, though, as most of the intermodal containers are handled by longshoremen at on-dock rail yards. In Seattle, much of the trucking involves drayage to off-dock sites.
The use of roving pickets makes it harder for maritime employers to prevent job actions by the ILWU in cooperation with the Teamsters union. "At each terminal, the clerks honored the pickets for approximately 45 to 60 minutes," said PMA Vice President Terry Lane. "We chased them around the port until we were able to get the arbitrator."
Most West Coast container ports have experienced intermittent job actions by independent truck drivers the past three years, but the prolonged work stoppage in Vancouver has been the best-organized. The Vancouver dispute centers on wages.
Unlike most U.S. ports, which avoid active involvement in labor disputes, the Vancouver Port Authority has taken the lead in trying to resolve the trucker impasse in Canada. The Vancouver port has offered to supplement drivers' pay during the peak shipping season, and last week announced a proposed licensing program for port trucking companies.
The firms would be required to sign a pact with the Vancouver Port Authority under which they would have to pay fair wages to employees and contractors. The plan also would include a gate appointment system to reduce truck congestion at marine terminals. The Vancouver plan would also involve terminal operators and importers and exporters. They would agree to keep their facilities open longer hours, which should reduce congestion in the harbor area.
In Vancouver, as in most U.S. ports, truck drivers are paid by the trip, so long waits at marine terminals reduce their earning power. Some of the owner-operators in Vancouver are members of the Teamsters or other unions, while a number of the drivers do not belong to any union. Nevertheless, they have united to reject all offers by trucking companies and the port authority.
The Teamsters see Vancouver as a model for organizing efforts at all West Coast ports, said Chuck Mack, a regional Teamster official in Oakland, Calif. "It's a community approach in Vancouver, with the port, the terminals, the shipping lines and the trucking companies -- all of the stakeholders in the industry. In that way, it's not just a labor issue," Mack said.
At U.S. ports, efforts to organize owner-operators have failed because trucking companies are considered independent operators, not direct employees, and cannot organize into unions. The legal obstacles haven't prevented U.S. drivers from engaging in localized protests and work stoppages. The Port of Seattle began to experience job actions by independent drivers earlier this summer. Drivers there also complain of low wages and long lines at marine terminals.
In June, the Teamsters and the ILWU joined to prevent punitive action against drivers who were involved in a job action and organizing efforts in the harbor area. Though the current port trucking disputes are in the Pacific Northwest, California ports in past years have experienced similar work stoppages over wages and working conditions.
Long lines are still a problem, especially in Los Angeles-Long Beach, but the drivers have refrained from job actions in the last two years because work opportunities have been plentiful. Nevertheless, trucking company executives agree that a long-term solution is necessary. "It's quiet now, but things are always percolating under the surface. They're just not boiling over," said Joe Nievez, president of Qwikway Trucking in Los Angeles.
