[janetgreen]

Why should American workers be fired when the foreign employers locked them out? Read about it.

[geopyg]

The union guys want to make sure the new technology/equipment is run by union workers. The Seattle Times had a eye-opening (and depressing) article on it. The West Coast ports are stuck on old technology. In Rotterdam it takes less than six guys running a crane to unload a ship. On West Coast ports it takes 18 to 25 people per crane.

Even when the Ports have automated things the unions screw it up. At computerized ticket dispensers (to tell truckers which container to pick up) - A UNION GUY TAKES THE TICKET OUT AND HANDS IT TO THE TRUCK DRIVER!

Other articles point out the SELFISHNESS of the unions. What about the truckdrivers out of work? Or the shopkeepers waiting for their goods, or the factories across America waiting for those "just in time" supplies, or the American People who will pay the price? (What about them? Screw em. I want mine.)

But I guess if I was one of the union guys I wouldn't want to anutomate things either - even if all I did was give the ticket to the truck driver. Minimum wage at the ports is $57,570 (before overtime).