Catherwood LibraryILR School

In what the International Longshore and Warehouse Union is calling the latest attempt by the Pacific Maritime Association to break the union, West Coast shippers have submitted to the U.S. Justice Department supposed evidence of an alleged union slowdown on docks in violation of a federal injunction (see WIT?s for Oct. 15, and 9, 2002). The Justice Department---which has the power under the Taft-Hartley Act to go to federal court and obtain a contempt order against the union specifying fines and possibly other penalties (see WIT for Oct. 7, 2002)--- responded Tuesday by calling for additional evidence from the two sides in support of their positions. Having predicted that the PMA would accuse them of engaging in a slowdown, the ILWU dismissed claims by the companies that variations in productivity losses at different ports on different days were due to differences in port sizes and cargo flow levels, and a chaotic logjam caused by management?s lockout (see WIT for Oct. 21, 2002).