Posted on 06/28/2002 5:56:58 PM PDT by Vigilanteman
SAN FRANCISCO (June 26, 2002) – The International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF), which has a representative observing the contract negotiations between the Pacific Maritime Association (PMA) and the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU), violated an agreed upon media blackout by releasing misinformation to the news media today regarding the PMA’s benefits proposal to the ILWU.
Furthermore, the ILWU today informed the PMA that it was unilaterally lifting the media blackout. In response, PMA’s Negotiating Committee Chairman Ray Holbrook strongly urged ILWU President Jim Spinosa to refrain from trying to negotiate through the media.
Because the information released by ITF was inaccurate and misleading, the PMA, which has honored the media blackout since negotiations began on May 13, believes it is important to provide accurate information on the health and welfare benefits issues raised by the ITF in its media statement.
The ITF alleges that the PMA has attempted “to reduce welfare provision(s) for port workers.” ILWU members who obtain services from PPO and HMO doctors would continue to be covered at 100% with no out-of-pocket costs and with no employee monthly premium. This is in sharp contrast to the average U.S. worker’s monthly employee contribution of $150 for family coverage.
“The ILWU benefits package is the gold standard in America,” said PMA spokesperson Jack Suite. The PMA contributes an average of $42,000 per worker per year – far greater than the average annual wage of $30,500 for U.S. workers. These benefits are on top of the ILWU members’ annual wages that average $106,866 for full-time longshore workers.
The ILWU health benefits plan is superior to those offered to the highest ranking members of the United States government, including members of the United States Congress, as well as virtually every other American worker. The cost of providing ILWU longshoremen health benefits exceeds the cost of providing UPS Teamster drivers health benefits by 60 percent. In many cases, longshoremen have close to 100 percent health coverage, and pay just $1 for any prescription.
When looking at overall benefits – insurance/welfare, retirement/pension and paid leave – the PMA spends more than $20 per hour for each full-time employee. According to Bureau of Labor statistics, that amount is four times the average provided to several U.S. employee groups, including white collar, blue collar, service and civilian workers.
The ITF also inaccurately asserts that “cost reductions for port employers and shipping lines appear to be the PMA’s main concern.” In fact, the PMA is proposing to deliver the same or improved benefits in an environment of escalating costs. The cost of providing health, life and disability benefits has risen from $143 million in 1999 to $201 million today, and is expected to increase to $335 million by 2005.
Finally, the ITF alleges that the PMA is “trying to use the events of September 11 and the need to improve port security as a way to force the ILWU to accept the unacceptable.” The facts clearly indicate that the PMA has been requesting technological advancements and workplace modernizations since 1999. In fact, as a result of 1999 negotiations, it was agreed that the parties would create a technology committee to address these issues. To PMA’s disappointment, the committee met only a few times and did not make progress.
“The PMA has urged the ILWU to work with us on specific technology and modernization issues since the last contract talks in 1999, and we formally requested that negotiations begin on technology more than a year ago,” Suite said. “In the post 9/11 era, there is no question that the need for technology and modernization is even more crucial. Modern workplace practices and the introduction of basic technology are absolutely necessary for insuring national security, relieving mounting congestion on the terminals and removing this bottleneck in the global transportation system. These changes are important to support continued economic growth and to increase security on the waterfront,” he added.
Since negotiation began May 13, the union has focused solely on the welfare section of employee benefits to the exclusion of all other issues that affect the operations of the West Coast waterfront, including technology, workplace practices, and wages. “The union insisted on negotiating one single issue to the exclusion of all others for six weeks, and with five days to go before the contract deadline, the issue remains unresolved.”
“PMA has no interest in reducing benefits, but has made proposals which are designed to provide benefits in a more efficient and cost effective manner and other proposals that increase the level of benefits,” Suite said.
“The PMA and ILWU must work diligently to achieve a resolution to the outstanding issues in order to prevent a work-stoppage that could damage the U.S. economy and threaten the livelihood of thousands of workers across the nation and threaten national security,” Suite said. “The tools are there. We just have to use them.”
These esso bees are pushing a recovering economy back into the sickbed in an attempt to help elect more Marxist DemocRATS in November.
That seems a little rich, even for him.
D
Unions are for drones, collectivists, and loafers.
Unions constitute a monopoly on a commodity: labor. They are "legal" only because Congress passed a law specifically exempting them from anti-trust and anti-monopoly laws.
--Boris
Stop moving manufacturing offshore, and
Stop buying foreign goods.
Isn't it ironic? Manufacturers supposedly move offshore to avoid unions and other decent wages only to have to move their goods with and thru an increasing (thanks to their greed) union labor force.
BTW, your title: California Longshoreman's Union Pushing Economy to Brink of Disaster, ....is very telling.
Since we always have a growing trade deficit you're title is suggesting OUR economy is dependent on foreign goods/imports....and union labor.
Unfortunately, that's the fact, Jack. Many vital components to keep American manufacturing going are no longer made anywhere in the U.S.A. A strike against all foreign goods is as idiotic as shooting a missile overseas at random-- you may hit some foreign country-- but we still have more allies than enemies. I'd like to keep it that way.
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