Enmity Escalates in Port Talks
Serious damage was done to any remaining goodwill between the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) and the Pacific Maritime Association (PMA) today, reducing the chances for a quick end to a three-day old management lockout that threatens to do considerable harm to the U.S. economy (see WIT for Sep. 30, 2002). ILWU President James Spinosa and four bargaining team members stormed out of a bargaining session personally conducted by Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service (FMCS) Director Peter Hurtgen, when they found out that PMA chief negotiator Joseph Miniace had brought armed bodyguards with him to the meeting. FMCS Director Hurtgen condemned Miniace’s decision to bring the armed bodyguards as “inappropriate and a breach of bargaining protocol," and the union has made resumption of talks contingent upon Mr. Miniace not being present---a condition the PMA has so far rejected.
See "Enmity Escalates in Port Talks", NANCY CLEELAND, JOSEPH MENN and DAN WEIKEL, Los Angeles Times, October 1, 2002