I spoke months ago about the embarrassment of the Longshore workers on the West Coast with their deliberate slowdown of work to force contract talks with their employer. Because of the amount of cargo moving to and from their ports, their work slow down is embarrassing to American productivity. CLICK HERE TO REVIEW. I am embarrassed that they are Americans representing to the world the merit and speed of the American workforce. Because of their actions, they should all be let go and replaced with newer—less expensive workers who will show the world the enterprising speed of Americans. Instead they have been drag-assing for months upset that they have not received a new union contract forcing valuable product to sit idle until the workers get to it. This entire workload backup has forced numerous weeks of consecutive weekend overtime which has cost millions of dollars in lost profitability. That was always their union strategy. Not only did they waste time during the week forcing trucks and ships to wait on their weak effort at productivity—but they have done the same under premium pay on the weekends compounding the insult.
Then to make matters worse to any investigator with an inquisitive eye toward reality, one comes to realize how much these union workers make as a salary—which proves how out of touch they really are. When the union leaders were upset that their employers just shut down the weekends because they are now so dreadfully behind schedule it is no longer worth the premium money to spend to move units—the audacity of the Longshore workers unions become very clear. What follows are a collection of articles that explains more deeply the situation:
Longshore workers, according to a contract that expired in July, can earn $25.71 to $35.68 — or annual salaries of $53,476 to $74,214— depending on seniority. Workers get more money for special skills and experience, plus overtime.
According to the Pacific Maritime Association, which represents the employers, the average salary is $147,000, which combines the earnings for registered longshoremen, clerks, walking bosses and foremen who have worked 2,000 or more hours.
LOS ANGELES, Calif. – Companies that handle billions of dollars of cargo at West Coast seaports said Friday they will hire far fewer workers this weekend, the latest escalation in a contract dispute with dockworkers that threatens to shut down a vital link in U.S.-Asia trade.
The association representing port terminal operators announced its members would not hire crane drivers to move containers on and off massive ocean-going ships. Instead, employers could order smaller crews to clear already-unloaded containers from congested dockside yards.
The slow-roll implementation of Obamacare threatens to close U.S. commercial ports on the West Coast. The 29 ports, which handle 70 percent of maritime imports from Asia, were closed over the weekend after months of contentious contract negotiations. The ports reopened Monday, but 20,000 longshoremen are still threatening to strike over a new Obamacare tax.
Obamacare imposes a 40 percent tax on health benefits deemed too generous by the government. Health benefits exceeding $10,200 a year in value for individuals or $27,500 for families are defined as “Cadillac” plans and are subject to the tax. Health benefits for longshoremen exceed $40,000 per employee, meaning the union would be served an enormous tax bill when the penalty is imposed in 2018.
Well, how about that, Obamacare penalizes health care plans that are too luxurious so to ensure that everyone is the same no matter their personal effort or worth—and the Longshore workers don’t like it. The situation is so serious that it should require the involvement of the President of the United States to step in and keep American productivity flowing. But he hasn’t because Obama is aligned with such radicals as they think the same way. Yet even in this case even the union workers are to the political right of Obama—because it is Obamacare that is the largest sticking point in obtaining a new contact. The Longshore workers already make too much money to be worth the effort—now with Obamacare pressing down on the port employers they simply have reached their breaking point and are giving up.
For Obama, this is one of the biggest issues of his presidency. When President Bush was faced with the same type of work stoppage in 2002 after only a ten-day lockout by the same union he invoked the Taft-Hartley Act as reported by the World Socialist Web Site:
On Tuesday a federal judge in San Francisco granted the Bush administration’s request for a temporary injunction lifting a ten-day lockout and sending West Coast longshoremen back to work. The court order was a prelude to the declaration of an 80-day “cooling off” period under the provisions of the anti-union Taft-Hartley law.
The lockout had shut down 29 West Coast ports. The judge issued his order barely three hours after attorneys from the Justice Department presented a fact-finding report drawn up by a special Board of Inquiry. George W. Bush had announced the formation of the panel the day before, setting into motion the legal process leading to the declaration of a national emergency and the implementation of the Taft-Hartley Act
The Pacific Maritime Association (PMA), which represents the West Coast shipping companies, reopened the ports on Wednesday for the 6 p.m. shift.
http://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2002/10/ilwu-o10.html
Of course the socialists thought that Bush had overstepped his boundaries and forced the Longshore workers back to work because they represent the basic philosophy of all labor unions—that jobs exist for employees and that employers are meant to be servants to the whims of the “middleclass.” And now that socialist types have their president in the White House there is no relief for employers coming—instead there are only more socialist driven costs induced by Obamacare. So for employers—it’s a no win situation. Product is stacking up on shipping docks and not making it to their destination on time—and America looks inefficient because of it—which makes socialists happy.
The Longshore workers are disgraceful. They have a history of this radical behavior and have driven up their wages to a level that is simply not sustainable. And now because of Obamacare, they have overstayed their welcome and are due for an innovation to replace their sudden worthlessness. The rest of America should not have to wait for those idiots to do their jobs. Their selfishness is epic—but worse than that—it is Obamacare that has broken the back of logic. Yet nobody is talking about that on the nightly news. That is because the dispute is between various factions of liberals—the Longshore workers and Obama himself. The companies caught in the middle simply want to operate their businesses. And with the Obamacare imposition being so high—they decided they can’t. So employers shut down their weekend work and are ready to move on. For them—it was the correct decision. These port employers aren’t alone. Here is a list of other major companies who have decided that Obamacare is just too expensive. And this is just the beginning.
Rich Hoffman
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