West Coast ports facing shutdown in labor dispute
 

Has anyone been following the west coast port labor disputes. I have to, it is my job. This dispute has the capacity to bring our already fragile economy to its knees. It seems so quite in the media. I wonder why?

Each year, about 40% of the containers that come into the U.S. — filled with TVs, iPhones and clothes [food - lots of it sitting in containers spoiling] — passes through the twin ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, making them the busiest in the nation and an economic engine for the Southland.

Now, after months of crushing congestion that has left the Long Beach coast cluttered with cargo ships waiting to unload, the ports, and 27 others along the West Coast, may be on the verge of shutting down, potentially imperiling the nation's trade with Asia and putting a dent into the regional economy.

http://www.latimes.com/business/la-f...207-story.html

You go labor. Bring this fucked up country to its knees while nobody watches. I'm ready. Then perhaps we can have some real change. If it happens, I am out of a job but I don't care. I am in full support of labor.

That is right you fuckers, labor (the working people). The producers!!!!

Does this sound fucking familiar!!

"This could have serious impact on the economy," said Jonathan Gold, vice president of supply chain and customs policy at the National Retail Federation. "The escalating rhetoric, the threats, the dueling press releases and the inability to find common ground between the two sides are simply driving up the cost of products, jeopardizing American jobs and threatening the long-term viability of businesses large and small."

http://www.joc.com/port-news/longsho..._20140523.html

:eek:

Holy paycheck!

What the fuck are they striking for?

Because they can, thanks to the power of a strong union. In a sense, this is economic blackmail.

Bullcrap ;). These guys and gals are mainly striking over safety issues.

The whole LA/LB system is a bottleneck clusterfuk of epic proportions. Guess which party doesn't want to spend the Federal dollars to upgrade it?

I always here this from gubmint workers...;)

:) You go girl!!! I've been watching this too. Management could care less about safety and/or sharing the wealth during the boom times.

Those overpaid left coast weenies need to get back to work before they find themselves in the same boat as the Air Traffic Controllers did 30 years ago.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IYBAPVjJykY

Seriously though, I'm more concerned about the poor schmuck that has to take the Shoe Leather Express to his $10.55 an hour factory job, or some single mom waiting tables at some greasy spoon for $2.13 an hour plus tips then I am about some union dudes pulling down six figures salaries plus Cadillac fringe benefit packages. .

Let the ports burn.

Nothing to do with safety and all about money. These guys are citing safety as an excuse for the work slowdown and have been working without a contract for over six months. Killing the goose that is laying the golden egg is more like it. Scab worker time!

Sorry Charlie, the 'pubbies will never turn California into a 'Right to Starve' state. :D

:eek: Nice weather you're having up there in the Bay area Raj.

Stay safe up there.

Good question.

They control a chokepoint. They have big power. So they have the big paychecks. And they want more.

People generally want as much as they have power to get.

Yep.

I'll bet there's plenty of Mexicans out there that will work twice as hard as those union dudes for half that pay.

Good description of the owner class. ;)

Damn. I should've been a Longshoreman. I would LOVE to be a part of your problem.

Dave

Lord knows I would.

Look at all of these Democrats, suddenly opposed to labor, now that they see these guys make more money than they do. :rolleyes:(AFAIK)

Time to dust off your Reagan fanboy paraphernalia and show your true stripes, Boys.

Dave

No shit. Who doesn't see that? Well, apparently..........................

Dave

There is no harm in blue collar workers becoming wealthy, as the owners of these shipping and transportation companies have succeeded in doing so.

Many of these longshoremen have a vast bank of technical skills that enable them to complete their job safely, efficiently, and in timely fashion.There are not too many people who can run overhead shiploading cranes, rig chain and wire rope lines, understand where to set transmodals, and do it all safely, while at great personal risk to all involved.

These four stick rigs are no picnic; neither is clambering all over transmodals in every kind of weather, twelve hours a day. Throw in continuous overhead work, working at heights, working in continuous pinchpoints, working with entanglement hazards, handling hazardous materials, and working with shifting heavy loads meet almost ALL of the special pay provisions that unions have.

Just like working as a union painter on the Golden Gate Bridge, there are very few folks eager to work these jobs,.

Natch. I said 'people,' meaning everyone. It's just most obvious with the owners, because they are most of the ones with enough power to grab big bunches.

I try to look at things as they actually are, without partisan goggles. Sure, that makes me a Reagan fanboy. :rolleyes:

Sheltie makes a good case for premium pay for actual cargo handlers. Now can I get a job description for the 'clerks?' Isn't high pay for them basically a move to limit job loss to automation?

I don't have a problem with what they are being paid. I just wondered why they feel they need to strike?

If there are legitimate safety issues shouldn't OSHA be taking care of that?

OSHA cannot take care of the inherent dangers.

OSHA also has no control over the slippage, which is what occurs when management wants workers to start cutting corners, and accepting a higher level of risk, by driving production higher and higher. This is such a high risk job that a tremendous amount of time motion studies have been conducted, and everyone involved, from the shipbound longshoremen, the pickers, setters, swingers, spotters, logistics, and clerks all have a specific range of production they have to hit every day. More production either means more hours, or reducing time spent setting up every critical lift.

Management wants slippage to trend up, union folks want the status quo with more hazard pay, the fleet just wants to get offloaded with minimal dead wait time so they can go run another cycle. And management wants to automate as much as possible, so they don't have to pay anyone money, which represents an uncontrolled variant cost.

These clerks and longshoremen are rock stars, and they get paid accordingly. I have seen work schedulers at nuclear fuel production plants paid on a similar scale. When you have an entire industry that depends on you getting things right, every single hour and every single day, you become a rainman.

They think that money is meaningful in California. They don't live here. Hell, on the money I make here, I could live in a luxurious home where they live. As it stands, I pay $1,800 a month for a small one bedroom apt. That is just for the space. I have to rent a frig and pay ungodly amounts for utilities. I almost forgot, I am also forced to pay renters insurance separately.

Shit, my 20 year old daughter has cancer and undergoing chemo as we speak and I can't even help here much financially. It is fucking unreal. She also goes to school and works a part time. Luckily, she lives in Oregon and because she is in college, she has good health benefits.

They deserve every wage they get and more. It is those fuckers who don't work and make there money by doing nothing and they do not pay taxes on it. The job those folks do is so dangerous. I know. My uncle was a ship mechanic. He flew parts out to stranded ships and worked on them. He was seriously hurt multiple times.

Yup, I'm whining to the fuck who told me I was whining.

Maybe so. I don't know and neither do you. So, let's dispense with the jumpy conclusions, shall we?

Dave

Excellent post.

Dave

You wouldn't be referring to the 1%ers, would you?:p

Dave

I agree with Bluestreak. Excellent post.

Yeah CUNT, you do nothing but bitch about everything! I doubt you have the skills or drive to make it anywhere without the government or union making the whole damn USA support your lame ass!

Why don't you move from that liberal nightmare? I bet you're scared to!

On the subject of job dangers, who the fuck do you think you are telling the rest of us about it???? Just because the rest of us don't cry about it doesn't mean we haven't before or currently don't work jobs that have lots of potential dangers.

Aren't you the same bitch who was whining about the cops & how they do
THEIR DANGEROUS JOBS?

OH BOO HOO! I have sick family, I live in a storage shed & rent my fridge, only make $1,800.00 per month, & on & on & on...

You could always try assisted suicide you pathetic POS. God only knows you probably would fuck that all up too. :rolleyes:

Are you drunk, DJ, or is it just too long since you've had a chance to get your rocks off down on the border or at the Bundy Ranch?

DJ, you need a break. That is offensive.

Why don't you let a person whine, especially after so stated, rather than responding with some tasteless and despicable name calling.

She/it called me a "fuck." Just responding to the worthless puke with typical P.C. venom.

Poor DJ. So easily riled and threatened by any ideas outside of his wheelhouse. :rolleyes:

I don't know old man. Why are you on this site 24/7 ? I bet you have your hand down your shorts right now...

By that lame bitch LOL! I bet "it" is a beauty too. :rolleyes:

But you are a fuck, DJ.

There you go again Deej. The clown prince of PC. :rolleyes: