Dockworkers' contract expires, but trade continues

[Omaha Steve]

Source: AP-Excite

By JUSTIN PRITCHARD

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The contract that keeps thousands of dockworkers on the job at ports from San Diego to Seattle expired Tuesday afternoon, but both sides pledged to continue negotiations without a disruption in the billions of dollars of trade that crosses the West Coast waterfront.

The union which represents dockworkers and the association which represents shipping lines and terminal operators at 29 ports issued a joint statement saying that while the current six-year contract will not be extended, both sides will keep talking — and working.

"Cargo will keep moving, and normal operations will continue at the ports until an agreement can be reached between the Pacific Maritime Association and the International Longshore and Warehouse Union," the two groups said.

The expiration without a deal was not a surprise. Indeed, no resolution is expected for weeks, with tough issues including whether workers should shoulder more of the hefty cost of health care yet to be resolved.

FULL story at link.


Read more: http://apnews.excite.com/article/20140702/us-port-labor-6fd2c7d53c.html

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FILE - In this Wednesday, Oct. 23, 2013, file photo, container ships wait to be off-loaded at the Port of Oakland in Oakland, Calif. The contract that keeps workers on the job at 29 West Coast ports expires on Tuesday, July 1, 2014. Both sides have said not to expect a deal, and that they will continue to bargain. (AP Photo/Ben Margot, File)

[Longie]

1. ACA

A major problem facing the negotiators is the monkey wrench Obama care has injected into the negotiations.
Longie

[Fortinbras Armstrong]

2. Yet another reason for having single payer. n/t

[Dbohio87]

3. Yes, Yes

Single Payer!!!!

[Dr. Strange]

6. As if we needed more.

[christx30]

4. If it's good enough for the

rest of us, it's good enough for the dock workers.

[Longie]

5. ACA

I’m 89 years old and one of the interesting features of being around that long is you get to observe the checking out a many friends. Some go quickly without a lot of fuss, some go hyper operatically over a period of time and I can tell you the costs are astounding. There might be some situations where the cost makes sense, but in all the cases I have observed all that expense did was add a few months to their lives. In one case a million and a half dollars bought six unpleasant months and then adios. Which brings up death panels and that tells us health care can be very complicated. And it also tells us that health care in the United States is very expensive, much more expensive than any other advanced country. That high cost is one of the reasons health care is such a continuous issue in the U.S.
I’d like to see an objective discussion of the various health plans advanced countries have, what are the results of those health plans, the cost, the plusses and the minuses. Let the discussion be free of attachment to the fortunes of a political leader or political party.
Longie