The Virginian-Pilot
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Longshoremen on Thursday voted down two labor agreements that would have meant an average pay cut of about 36 percent for two kinds of work - to $16 an hour - but would have given hundreds of idled workers the chance to get back on the job.
"I'm shocked," said Joseph A. Dorto, president and CEO of Virginia International Terminals Inc., the tax-exempt operating affiliate of the Virginia Port Authority.
"I think they have made a huge mistake."
The vote affects all eight locals of the International Longshoremen's Association in the port of Hampton Roads - between 1,600 and 1,800 workers - and is a setback for port managers eager to go after part of the shipping business de-emphasized decades ago when the decision was made to focus on containerized cargo.
Workers rejected a pay cut for handling "break-bulk" shipments - noncontainerized cargo that is packed in or on bales, drums, crates or pallets - and for work on an expanded barge service ferrying containers between Norfolk and Richmond.
The service could have grown to include an inner-harbor shuttle ferrying containers among terminals in Hampton Roads - or that was the plan, anyway.
The vote against the break-bulk agreement was 557-480 and 775-323 against the barge service agreement.
The average pay of an ILA member in the port is $25 an hour, said Ricky Pravato, an ILA wage-scale delegate who helped in the contract negotiations. Thomas Little, acting international vice president of the ILA in the port, declined to comment Thursday night, saying he had to talk to his workers.
Top port managers have said they want to draw more noncontainerized cargo to the port, creating more work, but that to make that happen would require wage cuts in the 30-percent range from labor to enable Hampton Roads to compete with other ports.
A sampling of longshoremen who showed up to vote at a union headquarters in Norfolk - several of them top-paid veterans making roughly $31 an hour - said the pay cut they faced was much closer to 50 percent.
"They've got us in a tough spot," said Dirk Harris, 52, of Chesapeake, an ILA member for 22 years, who voted no on both of the ballot items.
"We've got a lot of people who are not working; if you're not working, it makes sense to take it," he said. On the other hand, he added: "If you accept anything, people will keep taking from you."
Workers voting in favor of the contract were hard to find, though a minivan near the union headquarters' entrance was draped with a bedsheet bearing the message "VOTE YES, Save Our Jobs" and "Let's Make it Work."
A man who identified himself as an ILA worker, but would not say how he voted, said there was some fear involved in voicing support for the contract.
"It's gotten that hot. It's a tough issue," he said. "You're not going to get that out of anybody."
Thursday's vote came two weeks before the Virginia Port Authority's board meets to weigh ratification of an $800 million, 20-year lease of APM Terminals' state-of-the art facility.
Top executives of both organizations have said the plan has been to transfer container-cargo operations from Portsmouth Marine Terminal to APM, refocusing Portsmouth on "break-bulk" cargo.
Years ago, port officials decided to concentrate on attracting more containers to Hampton Roads, which let ports such as Baltimore capture more of the break-bulk market.
Hampton Roads port executives who are now ready to compete for more of that work are left without anybody to actually handle it.
Dorto said VIT can't go after break-bulk work or expand the existing barge service with the labor rates now in place. He said the Virginia Port Authority will be advised to look at the possibility of leasing the state's Portsmouth terminal out to private companies just to get people back to work.
The vote Thursday does not affect work on containerized cargo in ports from Maine to Texas that's covered by a master contract negotiated by the ILA with port and shipping-line management.
Robert McCabe, (757) 446-2327, robert.mccabe@pilotonline.com
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dorto
When Joe Dorto agrees to a pay cut. Maybe we union members will agree to one.
One thing is for sure.
The south is a great place to do business if you are a greedy corporation. Tbere is no end to the supply of gullible workers who will work for low wages while getting the shaft by the pie hording companies. And they do it with a smile on their face bragging that they don't pay any union dues all the while living check to check, driving crappy used cars and they can't afford to send their kids to college.
Suckers. Yes sir boss. I'll shine your cadilac and work on Saturday for straight time. My kids don't need me around to help them grow up proper. They don't need to go to college. They can grow up and get a low wage job from you just like their daddy. That way your kids can drive around in new mustangs and you can live in a million dollar house. Although the work you perform doesn't merit the pay and the company makes not one cent without my skilled labor. Its okay boss. We'll tighten our belts. You just keep maximizing that profit. Fools.
Turn down of wage reduction
As a retired I.L.W.U. member for 43 years i was glad to see the rank and file membership of the I.L.A. turned down the wage reduction requested by the management of the port. As long as the membership will accept any offer of management then there will never be any advance to improve working conditions. I hope you will in your next round of talks on the master contract, strive for a one tier contract (break bulk and containers equal) When that is accomplished then you will have a more united union. Remember united you stand divided you fall.
Keep FIGHTING. NERVE GIVE IN.
Organized labor gave us a middle class
Management will always do what is best for the bottom line. To them, labor is an expendable. Buy it cheap, work it hard and throw it away. An individual stands no chance against management. The only chance that a worker has is by joining into a cohesive unit and bargain as a whole. This case must be very frustrating to management. I mean they cannot very well outsource this to China or Bangladesh. The port has to remain here. To labor I would say, before you agree to one penny of wage concession see what matching wage concessions are going to be made by management. To management I would say that without skilled labor your port is just a parking lot. To both I would say: Remember the word FAIR does not mean "to my advantage."
Everyone loses
When was the last time anyone heard the port managers take a serious pay cut? When was the last time anyone heard of them taking a cut in benefits? Their jobs are a lot safer than those of the longshoremen. The pay cut would allow more longshoremen to work, but at what price in the long run?
More cargo needs to be shipped using the waterways instead of the roads. More containers should be shipped by barge between the different container ports of Hampton Roads and the rest of Chesapeake Bay instead of by truck to relieve congestion and wear on our highways. The only problem with that idea is that it goes against the powerful trucking lobbies which no politician is willing to take on.
The real deal
ILA may be a great paying job,but look at the price that's paid;unplesant and dangerous work conditions,stess,work twice the hours of an avg.worker,strain on family relationships because of it,body broke down,always tired and sleepy,bad health,no social life ,everyone thinks you're wealthy and a cash cow. Then people planning every single day how they can cut your pay and benefits. And we're not suppose to recognize the greed,coniving,selfishness,and deception of higher ups.We don't worry so much about what you can get away with,just let at least one slice of the pie be shared by labor. You can fool some of the people some of the time,but not all the people all the time. Just remember that thieves always get caught because it gets good to em, and they can,t stop until they get caught!!!!
thieves?
Yeah, the unions are thieves. You blame the "higher ups" but don't take responsibility for your own actions. There is change coming, and it's not union change. Companies that are heavy union are closing down. Competition is global.
Funny how you don't mention the deception of the union bosses. You buy in to their crap like a congregation buys in to the little man in the pulpit up front.
When you are doing your job, you are responsible for your little piece of the big picture. The "greed,coniving,selfishness,and deception of higher ups" you speak about is BS. The "higher ups" as you say are responsible not only for themselves, but for everyone on their team, how they affect the other teams, and the business as a whole. When you go home, you can stop thinking about your job while the higher ups have to continuously think about what's going on, especially in 24 hour operations.
Shipping industry is unlike
Shipping industry is unlike any other business. You say our union bosses are full of crap? Its our union bosses that are always in agreement with management. Your speaking of unions in general. You know nothing of the ILA. We are the most company friendly union in the country. Whatever the company ask for our officials most of the time say OK, just like now. What the poster said about greed and thievery is absolutely true. Do you have inside knowledge of this business here in this port. I could go on and on bout the shenanigans that's been going on in this port. You seem to have rose colored glasses on when it comes to company people and willing to put on blinders to whatever corporations do in the course of business. I'm pro business, but whats wrong with me asking for what I believe is a fair wage and no to what I don't believe is fair. Here's one for you. I make 30 an hour, most don't, the company pays it and they are still buying multimillion dollar machines, still supplying company cars to execs and managers and posting millions in profits. So whats your problem with this?
Do you realize
Alot of longshoreman work less than a 40 hour week always have in my 21 years on the job.We may only work a 4 hour day and not work again for 3 days and then work 16 hours straight with no notice might even walk off that job on to another job or not work again the rest of the week. Way too many longshoreman were hired when the work wasnt there to support them to start with. You have to call a recording EVERY WEEK DAY at 3 pm to see if you work THAT NIGHT after 5 pm to see if you work for the next morning.The average longshoreman makes a week what the average guy in other workfields make with a lot less headaches or life threatening situations.Longshoreman like to brag and think they are hot crap about what they make a hour but ask one what he makes in a year bets its well within 10% of any man in any career that a longshoreman can do and vise versa.Wanna go out to eat with friends well wait til I see if I have to work tonight.The $31 a hour is not all its cracked up to be.the union officials we have are not worth a damn we have lost way more than we have gained so think about your pay and hours versus tied to a telephone at 3 and 5 to see if you "might" work tonight.
and the guy that
and the guy that "negotiates" the deals for you make over 250K a year-disband the unions!