The association of West Coast port operators said yesterday that it had complained to the Justice Department that the dock workers were engaging in a ÿconcerted, systematic work slowdown.ÿþþThe group, the Pacific Maritime Association, asked the government to act, asserting that productivity had fallen to 34 percent below normal in Oakland, Calif.; 29 percent below normal in Portland, Ore.; and 27 percent below in Seattle.þþJoseph Miniace, the president of the association, said, ÿThe International Longshore and Warehouse Union is playing games with the U.S. economy, and inflicting economic pain and hardship on scores of companies and their employees.ÿþþOn Sept. 29, the maritime association closed 29 West Coast ports and locked out 10,500 longshoremen, accusing them of engaging in a slowdown. On Oct. 8, President Bush invoked the Taft-Hartley Act and asked a federal judge in San Francisco to order the ports reopened and the longshoremen back to work.þþSeveral economists estimated that the port shutdown had cost the economy at least $1 billion a day.þþIn response to the association's complaint, the Justice Department sent the association and the union a letter that said, ÿThese are serious allegations.ÿþþThe letter, from Deputy Assistant Attorney General Shannen W. Coffin, noted that the injunction reopening the ports required that work continue ÿat a normal and reasonable rate of speed,ÿ and without the union's interfering with ÿthe orderly continuance of work.ÿ Mr. Coffin noted that the injunction also ordered the union ÿnot to engage in any slowdown or any other kind of work stoppage.ÿ þþHe asked the union and maritime association to provide information regarding the accusations of a slowdown. If the Justice Department concludes that the union is engaged in an unjustifiable slowdown, one option it has is to ask the judge to cite the union for contempt.þþSteve Stallone, a union spokesman, insisted that there was not a deliberate slowdown, although he acknowledged that cargo handling was slower than usual, saying the main reason was extraordinary congestion.þþÿWe're not engaged in a slowdown,ÿ Mr. Stallone said. ÿEven if we wanted to mess up productivity on the docks, we couldn't do half as good a job as the Pacific Maritime Association has done with the logistical disaster they created through the lockout.ÿþþMr. Stallone said the docks were so congested with backed up cargo and trucks that lower productivity was inevitable. Union officials said safety concerns, especially during this period of unusual congestion, were also lowering productivity. þþThe association said the reasons cited by the union — safety and congestion — could not account for what it termed a sudden and major drop in work levels at several ports. The association said the drop in productivity was far smaller — 9 percent below normal — at the nation's largest port, Los Angeles/Long Beach.þþThe association accused the longshoremen of taking unjustified sick days and accused the union of not providing full crews of workers and delaying the dispatch of workers. Union officials said the ports were so busy that it was hard to furnish all the workers needed.þþþ
Source: NY Times
