Port talks negotiator averse to federal help

By Justin Pritchard
Associated Press

SAN FRANCISCO — The lead negotiator for shipping lines locked in a contract dispute with West Coast dock workers said yesterday he opposes a federal cooling-off period if the talks reach a true impasse.

Joseph Miniace, president of the Pacific Maritime Association, also said organized labor has sabotaged the negotiations to score political points against the Bush administration.

Frustrated over the lack of progress, Miniace said he does not want the Bush administration to invoke the Taft-Hartley Act to impose a cooling-off period should there be a strike or lockout. He likened that to "pulling off a Band-Aid real slow" — it hurts, and doesn't speed the wound's healing.

The International Longshore and Warehouse Union charges that Miniace has been bargaining in bad faith because the administration has promised to help.

"I have not asked for Taft-Hartley help, nor will I seek it," Miniace said. "There's got to be a driving force to get us to an end solution and Taft-Hartley is not it. I don't want it, it doesn't help me."

The contract lapsed July 1 but has been renewed on a rolling basis since. It covers 29 major Pacific ports from San Diego to Seattle. Those ports are projected to handle $300 billion worth of cargo this year.

Members of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union Local 142 and the Hawaii Employers Council, which represents the stevedoring industry in Hawai'i, have agreed to extend their contract while a new agreement is being worked out. Hawai'i dockworkers traditionally have followed the lead of their West Coast counterparts on contract issues.

On the West Coast, the two sides exchanged offers last month but full negotiating teams have met just once since July 26. Sticking points include health care and how to implement new technology on the waterfront without sacrificing jobs.

Miniace said his members need to see progress at the table by mid-September or "the game is going to change." He did not elaborate.

The Bush administration has convened a special task force with officials from several cabinet departments to explore federal intervention, the Labor Department has acknowledged.

Should there be a labor disruption — either from a strike by the 10,500-member union, or a work slowdown followed by an employer lockout — President Bush could declare a national economic emergency and force both sides back to the table for 80 days.