The US National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) ruled that the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) violated federal labor law in its attempt to acquire maintenance and repair work related to the use of cold ironing shore power to supply electric power to ships docked at Terminal 5 in the Port of Seattle. The NLRB states that employees represented by the ILWU’s Local 19 chapter performed this new maintenance and repair work for the terminal’s operator, SSA Marine, on a “temporary and inconsistent basis. This jurisdictional issue has prolonged the US West Coast longshore contract negotiations that are nearing a year. The ILWU will appeal the NLRB’s decision.
In the latest period of labor unrest, terminal operations closed at the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach for Thursday’s night shift and Friday’s day shift. Work resumed with Friday’s night shift.
