US Congress steps up pressure on ILWU, PMA to reach deal

US Congress steps up pressure on ILWU, PMA to reach deal
http://www.joc.com/regulation-policy/transportation-policy/us-transporta...
Joseph Bonney, Senior Editor | Feb 02, 2015 3:01PM EST

The U.S. Congress is stepping up its pressure on the International Longshore and Warehouse Union and the Pacific Maritime Association to reach a “swift resolution” to their 9-month-old contract negotiations.

Eighty-four U.S. House members have signed a letter urging the International Longshore and Warehouse Union and the Pacific Maritime Association to reach a deal to end the economic pain rippling through supply chains. Although more members of Congress are wading into the the issue, there’s little that lawmakers can do except to urge the two sides to reach agreement.

The most recent letter was organized by Reps. Dave Weichert, R-Wash., and Kurt Schrader, D-Ore. It followed a letter by the co-chairs of the bipartisan, 90-member Congressional Ports Caucus urging both sides “to reach a mutually acceptable resolution.”

Rep. Janice Hahn, D-Calif., whose district includes the Los Angeles-Long Beach port area, later criticized employers when they quit hiring night work gangs in response to what the PMA said were ILWU-orchestrated slowdowns.

Last November, the six U.S. senators from California, Washington and Oregon signed a letter urging the two sides to reach agreement.

There’s been some discussion of bringing longshore labor relations under the Railway Labor Act, which covers the railroad and airline industries, but such a change would encounter strong opposition and has not been seriously pursued.

Former Rep. Jack Kingston, a Republican who represented Georgia's first congressional district from 1993 until this year, said West Coast congestion and longshore labor get little attention in comparision with other subjects. "I think right now things are kind of quiet and focused on the world of other issues, like Isis and healthcare and things like that, so it's not a top-tier issue," he told JOC.com.

The letter from the 84 House members to ILWU President Robert McEllrath and PMA President James McKenna indicated that some lawmakers are paying attention. The House members said port delays are being “felt in all parts of the supply chain and across the entire country. Our constituents are losing business, letting employees go, and worrying about the future.”

The letter cited a report last year by the National Retail Federation and National Association of Manufacturers estimating that a 10-day shutdown of West Coast ports would cost the economy more than $21 billion.

Even without a port shutdown, companies are incurring costs and lost sales from delays at the ports. Retailers and manufacturers have had to reroute shipments, and agricultural exporters say they’re being shut out of overseas markets. Meat and poultry producer Tyson Foods said last week that the delays are affecting export supply chains and soon could be felt by livestock producers

Contact Joseph Bonney at jbonney@joc.com and follow him on Twitter: @JosephBonney.