While the union contract talks continue to make progress, the ILWU stepped up their job actions.

A PMA spokesman noted that the "coordinated job actions" were moving north up the coast and that was "not good news."

The PMA spokesman said the union has been engaging in rolling job actions. Several facilities will be affected one day but will return to normal while other terminals are hit the next day.

The PMA's recent figures indicate that the intensity of the unit breaks has increased, and in at least one case, a terminal's productivity was reduced by 40 percent.

The cumulative impact of the unit breaks has been to reduce cargo-handling productivity by about 10 to 15 percent at each facility that is affected, according to the PMA.

Now recent numbers show that productivity in Oakland and in Seattle-Tacoma are starting to fall as the job actions have spread north.

The ILWU does not deny that job actions are occurring on the docks. "The folks are still drinking coffee - together," said ILWU spokesman Craig Merrilees. Merrilees indicated that the impact on cargo-handling may not be as great as the PMA has stated. "There might be more passion than substance to what they're saying," he said.

Merrilees said he spoke with a few large shippers and they appeared satisfied with how their containers were being handled. He did not name the shippers.

Also, he indicated, the news on contract negotiations that are taking place this week at the PMA headquarters in San Francisco is good. "There is slow but steady progress. We're feeling positive," Merrilees said.

Neither spokesman would discuss specific issues in the contract negotiations. Nor would they say if there are any major sticking points. The safety committee continued to meet on its issues while wages, benefits and productivity enhancements sought by employers are being discussed at the primary negotiations, Merrilees said.

When a tentative contract is reached, the ILWU will reconvene its general caucus of 100 representatives from the West Coast. If the caucus approves the tentative agreement, the entire union membership will then cast ballots, Merrilees said.

Courtesy of the Journal of Commerce