[airedale]

The strike issue has to do with future jobs. There is agreement pretty much on everything else. Automation is coming to the docks. The union wants all the new jobs (not new slots for old jobs but totally new job functions) to be covered by the union agreement regardless of what it is. Management on the other hand wants as few of them as possible to be union. Their position is that all new jobs that are created that fit within the union agreement will be union jobs. Those that don't won't. Most of the new jobs that will be created will be outside the current labor agreement. The existing jobs will be partially phased out as technology is added.

I mentioned earlier that there was agreement on pretty much everything else. One of the things that has already been agreed to is that existing jobs will be maintained until the person filling it leaves or retires. So new technology won’t affect existing workers by putting them out of a job. However, the union thinks (probably correctly) that management will set up the new jobs created by technology in such a way that it won’t fit under the union contract. It’s an existence issue for the union and major money for both sides over a very long time (length of next labor agreement + any extensions that are agreed to with the same definition of what positions are covered.)

[Arthur Wildfire! March]

Most of the new jobs that will be created will be outside the current labor agreement. The existing jobs will be partially phased out as technology is added.

Is that related to Homeland Defense in any way? Radiation meters, emergency home phone numbers, etc?

[Lion's Cub]

Thank you. That's the most comprehensive explanation I've seen.

[BubbaJunebug]

#8 posted on 10/9/02 5:06 AM Eastern by airedale

Airedale has it right...I own an importing company and bring in 100+ containers of furniture a month. This is a situation that has been brewing for the last year as the contract deadline approached...it's very simple automation - vs - labor...the US ports are far less efficiant than our Asian counterparts, who run 10 to 15 times faster than ours in turn over of containers...do to automation. The dockworkers do make a lot of money...the crane operators make even more... 180 to 250 k per year

[pepsionice]

I see one big problem with the union and all these automation jobs. Computer geeks and engineers are typically anti-union. This is the most likely group to want to split from the main union itself. My guess is that the geeks will be begin to question union fees and really cause them heartache.