Bulletin # 08-15
February 9, 2015
LONGSHORE WORKERS TAKE TO THE SKY TO DOCUMENT AVAILABLE SPACE AT LA AREA PORTS TO UNLOAD SHIPS:
NEWS MEDIA INVITED TO VERIFY
February 9, 2015, San Pedro, California – Longshore workers Rollo Hartstrom and Bill Kirk took to the sky above the Port of Los Angeles and Port of Long Beach on Saturday, February 7, 2014, producing hundreds of photos of yards at the ports with room for thousands of containers that could be unloaded from ships. Over 20 ships are currently stranded off-shore along the coast stretching from Los Angeles to Orange County waiting for the Pacific Maritime Association (PMA) and its foreign-based shipping companies to end their shut-down of the ports over the weekend, and sparse utilization of the workforce. Hallstrom is a photographer and a member of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union, Local 13 (ILWU, Local 13), while Kirk is a licensed pilot and member of ILWU Local 94 (ILWU, Local 94).
ILWU, Local 13, President Robert (“Bobby”) Olvera, Jr., stated: “PMA closed the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach over the weekend alleging that there is no room for containers from ships waiting off-shore. These photographs demonstrate that PMA’s premise appears to be a fabrication. By attempting to simulate a crisis, PMA and its foreign-based members are trying to hurt ILWU members through contract concessions and retailers who will have to bear a “congestion fee” that will be passed off to consumers. Everyone loses except PMA’s foreign-based shipping companies who will rake American worker, retailer and U.S. consumer sacrifices as profits abroad. We call upon our elected officials to look into this attempted travesty upon the local and national economy.”
Olvera continued, “ILWU, Local 13, members should be allowed to work unloading ships that are backed up along the Southern California coastline. There’s room for containers and we have the workers willing to work. We have full confidence in our negotiators and have never felt that our contract comes before the economy. It’s been frustrating to watch PMA use subterfuge and deception to gain advantage over American workers, retailers and U.S. consumers. We are available to act as guides for anyone in the news media who would like to see from above or below what brothers Hallstrom and Kirk have uncovered about PMA’s arguments about the congestion of containers,” he concluded.
ILWU Local 13 was founded in 1937 with less than 2,000 members, and currently consists of approximately 7,000 regular members serving the Port of Los Angeles and the Port of Long Beach.
Fraternally,
Bobby Olvera, Jr. Mondo Porras Mark Williams
President Vice President Secretary/Treasurer