ILWU President: What Gridlock? Don’t Listen to PMA’s Bulls***!

International Longshore and Warehouse Union President Robert McEllrath has launched a strongly-worded video message to the ILWU membership on the continued stalled contract negotiations with the Pacific Maritime Association.

In the video, McEllrath accuses the PMA of utilizing lies and ways to show the general public and locals towards them, in addition to union members towards one another. But McEllrath’s message is evident: keep united and “do not listen PMA’s bulls***!”

Here McEllrath’s full message beneath, launched February 11, 2015:

This week, ILWU fought again towards PMA’s claims of full gridlock at southern California ports by releasing ariel photographs displaying “sufficient space” for containers on the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach.

“PMA is leaving ships at sea and claiming there’s no space on the docks, but there are acres of asphalt just waiting for the containers on those ships, and hundreds of longshore workers ready to unload them,” stated McEllrath in a press release launched earlier this week. “The employers are deliberately worsening the existing congestion crisis to gain the upper hand at the bargaining table.”

Today, PMA members started its 4-day suspension of vessel loading and unloading in any respect 29 of the west coast ports it represents, accusing ILWU of initiating employee slowdowns which have severely diminished productiveness. The suspension is scheduled for Thursday and Saturday via Monday, which coincides with “premium-pay” weekend and vacation vessel operations.

Here are the photographs that the ILWU says present “what the PMA doesn’t want the public to see.”

Photos taken Saturday, Feb. 6, 2015, at LB 94 and LBCT, by a staff of longshore staff: Pilot Rollo Hartstrom from Local 13, and photographer Bill Kirk from Local 94. Courtesy ILWU