By Mark Edward Nero
A rescheduled monthly labor meeting is suspending dayside operations at the Port of Oakland on May 1. The port said there are no vessel, yard or gate operations occurring during Friday’s first shift. Vessel loading and unloading are scheduled to resume with the second shift, beginning at 7 pm, the port added.
The port said it has notified shippers and harbor truckers of the schedule change, and that the temporary suspension isn’t expected to have lasting effect on port operations.
Waterfront employers okayed a longshore workers’ request to move their monthly meeting to May 1, according to the port. Monthly labor meetings are prescribed in the longshore contract with waterfront employers. The meetings are usually held on Thursday evenings, however local reports have indicated that longshore workers intend to participate in a demonstration Friday morning against police violence.
The Port of Oakland doesn’t employ longshore labor on the docks or manage its marine terminals, it leases terminal facilities to privately owned operating companies that contract with dock workers.
Updated information on the shift cancellation is available on the port’s blog, Port of Oakland Today.
