USMX files union grievance in effort to force port union back to bargaining table

The United States Shipping Alliance (USMX) has filed an unfair labor practice complaint against the International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA), aiming to force the union back to the bargaining table to negotiate a new agreement of work.

The ILA halted negotiations with the USMX in June after discovering that a handful of ports were using automated systems to register trucks. The union has since refused to resume formal negotiations, although the ILA said the two sides “have communicated several times in recent weeks” and that the impasse in negotiations is due to what it describes as ” unacceptable package of salary increases.” ” from the USMX.

“They call me several times a week trying to get the ILA to accept low wages,” ILA President Harold Daggett said in a September 23 statement. “My ILA members will not accept these insulting offers that are just a joke, considering the work my ILA longshoremen do and the billions of dollars in profits companies make from their work.

The USMX unfair labor practice complaint was filed with the National Labor Relations Board on September 26 and asks the board to require the ILA to reopen negotiations. Before filing its complaint, USMX said it had been unable to schedule a meeting with the ILA, saying “there is no indication that the ILA is interested in negotiating at this point.” The group also said it was open to working with federal mediators to reach an agreement.

If the two sides fail to agree on a deal by the end of September, the ILA plans to go on strike on October 1, closing all ports on the East Coast and Gulf. That could lead to backups at shipping centers that would take months to clear if a work stoppage drags on, with more than half of the country’s containerized imports passing through those ports each year.