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Retailers want port labor negotiators to strike a deal
The National Retail Federation is calling on negotiators in a stalled labor fight involving the U.S. port industry to come back to the table and reach a deal
The United States Maritime Alliance (USMX) and the International Longshoremen's Association (ILA) union for port workers have been attempting to negotiate a new labor contract for most of 2012, but talks between the sides have broken down.
The Washington, D.C.-based NRF said Monday that failing to reach a deal could cripple the U.S. economy.
“We understand and recognize that there are tough issues that need to be resolved,” NRF President Matthew Shay said in a statement. “The issue will only be resolved, however, by agreeing to stay at the negotiating table until a final deal is reached. Failure to reach agreement will lead to supply chain disruptions which could seriously harm the U.S. economy.”
Representatives for both the USMX and the ILA have argued that their positions in the contentious negotiations are fair.
"Management’s primary goal in these negotiations is to maintain the competitive position and market share of the ports by improving productivity and removing the inefficiencies that threaten the economic viability of the ports," USMX CEO James Capo said in a statement last week.
“Unfortunately, the ILA leadership has been unwilling to have a meaningful discussion about these archaic practices, among them 'low-show' jobs that pay some ILA members for 24 hours of work even if they are only on the job for a few hours a day," Capo continued.
"USMX may not like that process, but the ILA has a democratically elected ILA Wage Scale Committee to negotiate the Master Contract," ILA President Harold Daggett wrote in a June letter to Capo.
Representatives for the Port of Virginia have told reporters recently that they expect each side to ultimate agree to a deal.
