Port of Los Angeles strike

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It has been more than two years since clerical workers at the Port of Los Angeles had a contract. This week, the workers walked off the job to force contract negotiations in the hopes of receiving one—and that jobs will no longer be outsourced to non-union members.

John Fageaux, head of the Office Clerical Unit of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union Local 6, stated that new technology could allow workers abroad, through a “portal,” to access Port computers in both Los Angeles and Long Beach to do work the people he represents have “historically” done.

The strike has closed all but one of the Port’s eight terminals. The workers’ colleagues from the Port of Long Beach joined them, closing three of the six Long Beach terminals.

The silver lining in all of this is that most of the goods slated for shelves this holiday season have already arrived in the United States, which means this fight probably will not raise prices. In the long run, however, consumers are expected to be negatively impacted by this strike. That is because other goods will take longer to reach the two ports, before they can be sent across the country. This delay may lead to supply shortages and rising prices to compensate for the increased cost of shipping.

Fageaux said he wants to the strike to end as soon as possible, but the Harbor Employers Union does not feel there is a reason to go back to the table because the ILWU has not changed their demands.

The ports cannot operate without clerical workers because the longshoremen, who load and unload ships, have not crossed the picket lines. Ships waiting to enter the harbor and those currently in the harbor will not be serviced until the longshoremen come back to work.

The strike continued in the rain on Thursday even though on Tuesday, an arbitrator said the workers must return to their posts.