(Bloomberg) -- New York City’s ports, the busiest on the East Coast, ground to halt after longshoremen walked off the job Friday in an unspecified labor dispute.
Port Authority of New York and New Jersey said that it “strongly” urged members of International Longshoremen’s Association, which represents port workers, to get back to work, and resolve their differences with the New York Shipping Association. The association represents the terminal operators, ocean carriers, and stevedores. The NYSA negotiates labor agreements with the ILA.
“In the meantime, Port Authority police are actively working to ensure public safety for all of the stakeholders at the port,” the agency said in a statement. “All efforts to resume activity will be undertaken.”
James McNamara, a spokesman for the ILA, said workers told him they walked off because of interference by the Waterfront Commission in the collective bargaining agreement between the ILA and NYSA. The Waterfront Commission of New York Harbor is a bi-state agency that investigates and combats crime on the waterfront. It was set up in 1953.
Waterfront Commission
“They say they’re concerned about their own future jobs because a lot of their fellow members are being harassed by the Waterfront Commission, being subjected to drug tests that aren’t part of the agreement between the ILA and the New York Shipping Association,” McNamara said in a telephone interview.
Workers also told McNamara that the commission was blocking efforts by terminal operators to hire new workers.
“I didn’t know anything about it,” McNamara said of the walk-off. “It’s really a member-driven action.”
Photos posted on the website of WABC-TV 7 in New York City showed long queues of trucks and scores of workers congregating in a parking lot.
While known for its airports, bridges and Times Square bus terminal, the Port Authority owns the busiest port on on the eastern seaboard and the third-largest in the U.S. More than 3 million containers are unloaded at its six terminals each year, serving 23 million customers. The terminals include Port Newark and the Elizabeth-Port Authority Marine Terminal. The port is one of the largest auto ports in the country, with volumes of more than 400,000 new vehicles annually.
The Port Authority functions as a “landlord” and is responsible for port planning and coordination. Private-sector leaseholders are responsible for terminal operations as well as the development of terminal facilities and infrastructure covered by the lease.
Beverly Fedorko, a spokeswoman for the NYSA, said the group was “trying to understand the reason for what appears to be a walkout and will take every measure available to ensure work resumes.”
Join us on Facebook and give us a Like!
Copyright 2018 Bloomberg. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Want to continue reading?
Become a Free PropertyCasualty360 Digital Reader
Your access to unlimited PropertyCasualty360 content isn’t changing.
Once you are an ALM digital member, you’ll receive:
- Breaking insurance news and analysis, on-site and via our newsletters and custom alerts
- Weekly Insurance Speak podcast featuring exclusive interviews with industry leaders
- Educational webcasts, white papers, and ebooks from industry thought leaders
- Critical converage of the employee benefits and financial advisory markets on our other ALM sites, BenefitsPRO and ThinkAdvisor
Already have an account? Sign In Now
© 2024 ALM Global, LLC, All Rights Reserved. Request academic re-use from www.copyright.com. All other uses, submit a request to [email protected]. For more information visit Asset & Logo Licensing.
