A work dispute led to longshore workers walking off the job
at a Port of Seattle terminal on Jan. 20, bringing it to a standstill, until
returning a day later.
According to terminal operator SSA Marine, longshore workers
at Terminal 18, one of the largest container facilities in the Pacific Northwest,
walked off the job the morning of Jan. 20 after demanding that more labor be
hired at Terminal 5.
SSA Marine Sr. Vice President Bob Watters told local media
outlets that the workers’ request was outside the company’s jurisdiction, since
the terminal is owned by the port and not operated by SSA Marine.
Terminal 5 has been shuttered since mid-2014 for renovations
so that it may accommodate larger ships. As part of the plan, Eagle Marine
Services, which operates Terminal 5, has temporarily relocated its cargo and
breakbulk activities to Terminal 18. The port has said however, that it is
looking to attract “interim uses” for the industrial facility.
Watters said that the reason Terminal 18 was closed for
nearly a full day on Jan. 20 was that SSA Marine, when told that longshore
workers would walk off the job for half a day, told the employees that if they
left during the morning shift, they shouldn’t come back in the afternoon.
“Workers said to us ‘if you don’t hire more people for
Terminal 5 we’ll walk off and might be back at noon,” he explained. “We said,
‘if you’re going to walk off, don’t bother coming back until tomorrow’.”
ILWU Local 19 has not responded to requests to comment on
the walkout.
