Strike: Congressman-elect Lowenthal Supports ILWU

California state Sen. Alan Lowenthal, who was elected to the 47th Congressional District earlier this month but remains a state legislator through month's end,  released the following statement Thursday on the developing labor action at the ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles by workers of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) Local 63 Office Clerical Unit (OCU):

"I have worked closely with both the ILWU and the port-industry employers over the past 20 years, and I am proud to stand in complete solidarity with the ILWU clerical workers and their supporters in their attempts to prevent good American jobs from being sent overseas.

"The hard-working members of the OCU have repeatedly sat down over the past two years to bargain in good faith and reach a fair and equitable contract, and I believe their ongoing efforts to protect American jobs stands as a strong example for all American workers struggling against the threat of outsourcing.

"I urge a swift return to the negotiating table and an equally swift and fair resolution that will maintain these jobs in America--for American workers--while still allowing the ports to continue as one of the nation's critical economic engines."

The roughly 800 members of the ILWU Local 63 OCU, who handle the majority of paperwork for vessels entering and exiting the LA/LB port complex, have been working without a contract since June 2010.