Dock Workers Plan Work Stoppage in South Carolina

The labor union representing dock workers in Charleston, South Carolina is planning a work stoppage to protest the replacement of union workers with government agency staff, a leader of the International Longshoremen's Association, ILA, told local media.

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Kenneth Riley, vice president of the ILA and president of the union's Charleston branch, said over-regulation is costing jobs, according to Charleston’s Post and Courier.

Although rumors suggested the strike day may be Monday, Riley said that a date would be decided in the next few weeks once the union informed its members about the reason behind the strike and what's at stake.

"We’re going to do this the right way," he said. "We're not going to fly by the seat of our pants and be irresponsible. First, we have to organize and educate our rank and file members up and down the coast."

The stoppage of work would also be accompanied by a march on Washington to "wake up the decision makers and force them to focus on our ports," he said.

However, the U.S. Maritime Alliance, the employer group that negotiates contracts with ILA members, called the threat of work stoppage "disturbing" and that the contract it has with the union makes it illegal for members to strike for any reason.

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In a statement in response to Riley’s threat, the alliance said it "will enforce the contractual rights of its members to the fullest" if a work stoppage occurs.

The employer exercised this power in 2013 when the union staged a strike, forcing members to go back to work after just nine hours into the work stoppage following a federal order.

The union leader said “government-operated ports, including Charleston's, are reducing union jobs by hiring non-ILA workers to operate cranes, receive and deliver cargo and perform other duties,” the Courier reported. He also said that other ports are creating more layers of background checks that are making it harder for people to get jobs.

Similar issues were discussed during ILA meetings in Florida as the union prepares to negotiate a master contract with about 68,000 workers along the East and Gulf coasts as the current one will expire in September 2018.