Updated at 2:35 p.m. with union comment on progress.
The union and the owners of global shipping firms agreed early Tuesday to seek federal mediation to end a strike at the ports of Long Beach/L.A. said to be costing the economy $1 billion each day.
While a few news reports suggested a strike breakthrough that may be ending it, a spokesman for the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) spokesman said that was untrue.
"There was some important progress made, but there's more work to do and the involvement of a federal mediator is now seen as worth exploring," said Craig Merrilees, ILWU communications director. " As long as the intense negotiations continue with a focus on resolving the most important issue: the outsource of good jobs ... to distant states and foreign countries, a practice that's been ongoing."
Tuesday was the eighth day of the walkout by union workers at the nation's busiest seaport, which is impacting hundreds of thousands of jobs connected to cargo movement, distribution and retail, according to economists.
Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa announced Tuesday morning that
Goods movement is so essential to the U.S. economy that national retailers have called for intervention by President Barack Obama. He has been closely following the labor dispute that has idled most--though not all--of the shipping terminals at the massive port complex.
White House Press Secretary Jay Carney said Monday: ``I can just tell you that we -- and that includes the president -- continue to monitor the situation in Los Angeles closely and urge the parties to continue their work at the negotiating table to get a deal done as quickly as possible.'' Carney told reporters this when asked about the strike at a White House press briefing.
Here's more background on the strike.
Patch will continue to follow this story throughout the day, so check back for updates.
--City News Service and Nancy Wride contributed to this report
At some point in labor negotiations, management has to step in and say "no". When they fail to do so, do they not establish a sense of entitlement much as we are seeing evidence of here? As I understand it, these clerical workers make a very handsome living, at what point do they earn enough? I would argue that it is the market and not government that is best suited to determine wage rates above a given legal minimum. By the way, the idea that Pres. Obama may be "monitoring" the situation offers me no comfort at all. He was supposedly "monitoring" the events in Benghazi as they transpired also and we still had four of our people murdered and our Consulate thoroughly trashed did we not?
No one would argue that hard work shouldn't merit good pay, but when those with outrageously good pay (for what they do) complain and shut down commerce so a lot of others, who also work hard, can't pay for their own stuff, then it just looks more and more like simple extortion. "Pay me more or I'll shut down your commerce during the holidays." Regarding our president "watching", what's with that ? What good does watching do ? Reagan had a better solution when air traffic controllers walked off the job. He replaced them. This is what Obama should do, not out of punishment, but because at a certain point, in this economy, closing our largest port, is definitely an economic threat bordering on economic terrorism.
http://www.latimes.com/news/la-fi-walmart23nov23,1,7719393.story?page=2
The great majority of people have no bargaining power or security in their employment - i.e., they are completely vulnerable to the dynamic profit plans of their employer (persuaded by same that they should be "thankful" to have a job of any kind or conditions.) Another sort of terror?
Despite these, we have many thousands of years of human history to examine various economic systems. In each case we see clear evidence that the more that government meddles in otherwise free-market systems, the more unbalanced those systems become. I am no absolutist. I approve of minimum wage legislation. I do not approve of so-called "living wage" legislation, however. In this nation (at least so far and quite unlike nations like China) if people are unhappy with the wages they receive from one employer, they are entirely free to seek employment from another employer who may be willing to pay them more. The more government mandates higher wages (again, above a reasonable and legal minimum), entirely unconcerned with other market realities and influences, the more the market becomes disrupted and dysfunctional. ...or so I believe.
The wages local Walmart employees earn are likewise spent on local goods and services, further stimulating the local economy. Walmart employees who are dissatisfied with their wages are entirely free to seek higher-paying jobs elsewhere or to improve their education levels and skillsets so as to make themselves more valuable and marketable in the workplace/workforce. Modern day labor unions often cut their own noses off to spite their faces. Demanding (and often receiving) higher and higher wages which, while good for existing workers, often results in fewer and fewer jobs as well as higher and higher prices for products and services.
To be quite frank, I am in awe of how well "Walmart's" supply chain works, I also understand that, when a supply chain works that well, their is no place for small manufactures in it. Small manufactures simply do not have the economy of scale to deliver at the price and quantity the large chains need. Effectively shutting them out of the consumer marketplace. When we shut out the small businesses, we effectively destroy what actually builds our economy, creates wealth for employers/employees and wrecks havoc on the local/state/federal tax base.
Just as I patronize big box stores for some things, I also patronize middle-sized retailers and mom-n-pop stores for other things and other reasons. I think there is room for all types of legal businesses in our current economy and if there were not, a market that is not artificially manipulated by government would quickly weed out those participants which consumers no longer find value doing business with. It may well be that one day there will no longer be any (what we now know as) smaller retailers. If so, then it should only be because few or none in a given community wants or needs them, just as we once decided that we no longer needed blacksmiths or cartwrights or weavers. Communities and societies are organic. They evolve and devolve, expand and conctract, according to the needs and desires of their members. Walmart offers products and services that consumers desire. Were this not so, Walmart would not be successful.
"Who's cars are being processed by these Marine Clerks?" Japanese and Korean. "Why has the harbor become a BILLION DOLLAR A DAY part of the US economy?" Americans like to buy cheap goods made far from home. WalMarts entire advertising campaign for Christmas is shop here and save money. (Shop and spend less money--- sure, but save money ... not possible). I do not have control of the way WALMART treats their employees, BUT AS SOON AS THE WALMART STAFF GROWS THE CAJONES THEY NEED, I WILL NEVER CROSS THEIR PICKET LINE, I will bring them coffee and offer them an umbrella and pay their kids' fees for what ever they are doing with my kids while they are out of wrok. That is how we work as a community to help the little people find their collective power
My kids attend Miraleste Intermediate School and they have noticed that at the end of the school driveway the American Cars turn toward the harbor and the European cars turn left towards the hill. Come watch some morning. Everyone at the harbor understands and takes pride in what "we Americans have built." It is safe, efficient, and a harbor with integrity. It truly is the ENVY of the the world.
Or maybe not - perhaps we just use a different name for the same thing. At any rate, cheers my brother, and may all your Christmases be white (a pretty good bet up yonder :-)
Like any other chain store, there are Walmarts that are well-managed and those that are not.
But Anthony M.'s got a bone to pick: http://belmontshore.patch.com/articles/port-strike-union-shippers-agree-to-federal-mediator#comment_5699312
I would say something about a village, and "it takes a", or the word that usually precedes "savant", but in my advanced dotage, I am lucky if I can get conjugation right, bone or no bone. VERB conjugation, you perverted freaks! (Does your neighbor know you are stalking her/him?)