March 23, 2015
By LaborPress
Tampa, FL — The United States Maritime Alliance and the International Longshoremen’s Association are strongly opposing any attempts to remove the longshore industry from the jurisdiction of the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA), and place it under the jurisdiction of the Railway Labor Act (RLA).
The organizations say that the longshore and stevedoring industry has been successfully functioning under the NLRA since its enactment in 1935, pointing out that the East and Gulf coasts haven’t seen a strike for nearly 40 years.
The International Longshoremen’s Association, AFL-CIO represents upwards of 20,000 longshore workers at waterfront facilities from Maine to Texas, while the United States Maritime Alliance represents employers of the East and Gulf coast longshore industry. Membership consists of 24 container carrier members, including the 10 largest carriers worldwide, and every major marine terminal operator and port association on the East and Gulf coasts.
In 2012, during the most recent contract negotiations, the parties came to an agreement for a six-year contract expiring in September, 2018. Discussions have already begun between the parties to explore a long-term contract extension that promise to bring stability and growth to Atlantic and Gulf coast ports well into the future.
The United States Maritime Alliance and the International Longshoremen’s Association view this as an unprecedented accomplishment for both employers and their customers, as well as the union and its members. They say the agreement also promises uninterrupted economic harmony – one that contributes to the overall well being of industrial relations on the waterfront, and promotes the economic growth of the United States.
