SoCal Harbor Workers' (750 clerks) Labor Talks Resume

[Omaha Steve]

Source: Associated Press

The union representing office clerical workers at the nation's main Far East cargo container gateway said Monday it is prepared to order a walkout as early as this week if labor contract negotiations fail to make progress toward an agreement.

Labor talks between the union and its members' employers were scheduled to resume Monday, but both sides remained far apart on proposed health and pension benefits under a new three-year contract, said John Fageaux Jr., president of the Office Clerical Unit (nyse: UNT - news - people ) of Local 63, a division of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union.

"We met on Saturday with the employers ... and again we just made very little progress, so things are kind of slowing down," Fageaux said. "It's a cause for some concern at this point."

Unless Monday's discussions yield some progress, the union will set a deadline for when workers will walk off the job, Fageaux said.

Read more: http://www.forbes.com/feeds/ap/2007/07/09/ap3896267.html

---

IF they do strike for more than 24 hours, items from China (etc) will be forced to back up on ships at sea.

[ohio2007]

1. Those people working on the docks make the big bucks for a reason

Don't be suprised if they get $45 hr and 24 paid days off... not to mention the pension plan tease.

snip
Under their most recent contract, full-time, port clerical workers earned about $37.50 an hour, or $78,000 a year. They also receive a pension, health care benefits free of premiums and 20 paid holidays a year.

....

snip

http://www.forbes.com/feeds/ap/2007/07/09/ap3896267.html

To shut down Wal-Mart operations is disturbing factory production in China but these clerks have more of an impact on american products being loaded onto container ships,not the off loading of the massive Chinese Junks into the Wal-Mart pipelines......

guess we will have to stay tuned on this one.