The unions are in trouble at the L.A. Ports—and around the nation. Union wages and benefits have gone up, The cost of doing business, energy and gas costs, equipment costs, etc. have gone up. So, the government owned ports are going to automation to cut down on labor costs—the only costs they can control.
“Terminal automation — bringing in unmanned equipment that eliminates some dockworker jobs at the cost of cleaner air and, proponents argue, port efficiency — is probably the most contentious issue looming across U.S. ports, which are slowly following the automated trends that have taken off in European ports.
It reminds some of port battles in the 1960s when steel cargo containers began to replace some of the manual labor provided by longshore workers in loading and unloading goods from ships.Officials with Total Terminals International, which operates out of Pier T, met with union leaders on Monday, May 17, to lay out their plans to transition to automate the 385-acre site, commonly known as the Hanjin Terminal.
So, to the unions a computer and equipment run by them pollute the air, while the workers, driving their cars to the port and using equipment does not. What a joke—just claim anything will pollute the air. The only pollution here is air pollute caused by unions lying about pollution. Will government allow featherbedding or move into the 21st century?
Automation war expected to intensify with another Long Beach terminal looking to modernize
Press Telegram, 5/20/21
Another showdown is brewing over port automation after Pier T terminal operators in the Port of Long Beach called labor union leaders in this week to announce their plans to pursue automation.
It would become the fourth automated terminal in the Ports of Los Angeles-Long Beach complex.
Terminal automation — bringing in unmanned equipment that eliminates some dockworker jobs at the cost of cleaner air and, proponents argue, port efficiency — is probably the most contentious issue looming across U.S. ports, which are slowly following the automated trends that have taken off in European ports.
It reminds some of port battles in the 1960s when steel cargo containers began to replace some of the manual labor provided by longshore workers in loading and unloading goods from ships.Officials with Total Terminals International, which operates out of Pier T, met with union leaders on Monday, May 17, to lay out their plans to transition to automate the 385-acre site, commonly known as the Hanjin Terminal.
TTI representatives were not available for comment.
But the International Longshore and Warehouse Union was quick to issue a response following the meeting, saying the proposal threatens U.S. jobs and local economies. Participating in the meeting were representatives of ILWU Locals 13, 63 and 94.
“The bottom line is we’ve already proved that as Americans we’ll do anything we can to keep the cargo moving,” Ramon Ponce de Leon, president of ILWU Local 13, said in a telephone interview.
The past year saw cargo surged to unprecedented levels amid the coronavirus pandemic, while staffing shortages plagued the ports because of dockworkers testing positive for COVID-19. That resulted in longshore workers clocking long hours, earning the praise of both ports’ executive directors.
Automation, though, has already come to three other terminals in the port complex: the Long Beach Container Terminal, TraPac in the Port of Los Angeles and APM Terminals on Pier 400, also in the Port of Los Angeles.
The Pacific Maritime Association, which represents West Coast terminal operators, defended the move to automation in a Thursday afternoon statement, citing it as a way to remain competitive at a time when some cargo as already shifting to ports on the East Coast and the Gulf Coast.
“For some terminal operators,” PMA said, “automation is seen as vital to remaining competitive and meeting extremely stringent environmental regulations, especially at the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach.”
Operators also have the right to automate terminals in the current ILWU labor contract, the statement noted.
“In 2002, the West Coast maritime industry replaced clipboards and chalk with scanners, GPS and optical character recognition technology,” PMA said. “Since that landmark 2002 agreement, the waterfront has thrived, with the ranks of longshore members in Southern California growing significantly.”
But the automation at Pier 400 in 2019, the most recent of the local modernization projects, was fought by union workers, who organized marches and showed up in mass at harbor commission meetings. Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti eventually intervened in the standoff, bringing both sides together to try to hammer out a deal. Under that deal, the company agreed to retrain some 900 longshore employees to transition to the newer, automated positions.
Over the past year, the APM project has moved from a pilot-and-testing phase to live operations, according to a Port of L.A. spokesman. Currently, 90 acres are being used with the new automated technology, while approximately 380 acres are still using conventional operations.
Specifics about the TTI plan haven’t been formally released, but other automation projects have taken years.
Port of Long Beach Executive Director Mario Cordero declined to comment on the proposal, which will be go to the harbor commission for approvals.
Despite opposition, automation on the docks appears destined to grow, with supporters saying it makes terminals more efficient and environmentally cleaner. The Los Angeles-Long Beach Ports, the largest in the nation, also face increasing pressure to embrace automation in light of growing cargo demand and competition for business from other ports.
Automated operations allow for higher container stacking and other space-saving measures, as well as equipment that can handle more cargo — and operate 24/7 with lower labor costs to terminal operators.
Automation hasn’t been as quick to develop in the U.S., in part because the transition process is expensive and faces strong resistance from the unionized labor force.
In a news release, de Leon used the terminal’s Swiss and South Korean ownership to criticize automation’s impacts on U.S. jobs.
“While foreign-owned corporations like TTI continue to push to fully automate their terminal operations at our publicly owned U.S. Ports,” he said, “they need to remember that the ports exist for the benefit of the U.S. and local economics, not the destruction of jobs and maximum extraction of foreign profit.”
He also said, in a phone interview, that a big part of the fight ahead is keeping local communities strong.
“We’re moving the cargo and taking care of the community, we go out and buy goods in the community. Robots don’t pay taxes of buy dinner or pay for tuition,” he said. “The whole community is at stake here.”
Investing in rail infrastructure, he added, is a better approach to increasing terminal efficiency.
Union officials also say automation poses a potential foreign cyber-security risk, pointing to the recent hacking of the Colonial Pipeline.
“Although the ILWU recognizes the need for responsible advancements that reduce our carbon footprint and improve efficiencies,” aid ILWU Local 94 President Danny Miranda, “any efforts to automate port terminals for the primary purpose of increased offshore corporate profits comes at a cost that our local communities and country cannot afford.”
The Long Beach Container Terminal, previously owned by Orient Overseas International Line, was sold to Macquarie Infrastructure Partners for $1.78 billion in 2019. It is one of the more visible examples of the technology for motorists driving through the port area. Features include remotely-run cranes and other equipment that offer nearly zero diesel emissions.
Automation and how it will impact jobs is expected to loom large in the ILWU’s upcoming contract negotiations. The current contract expired in July 2019 but has been extended to July 2022. The union offers among the highest paid blue-collar jobs in the area and has provided for the livelihoods of many longtime San Pedro and Wilmington families.
Modernization, PMA said in its statement, is an important part of keeping local ports competitive and dockworkers employed.
“We have seen first-hand how modernization strengthens our ports’ competitive standing in the world,” the statement said. “None has benefitted more than the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach. Modern terminals attract cargo and cargo creates economic benefits for longshore workers, their families and the local community.”
The Pier T terminal is located where Long Beach’s U.S. Navy base once operated and includes both truck and rail facilities.
Unrelated to the automation issue, Pier T was recently in the news when the Long Beach Board of Harbor Commissioners voted on April 26 to approve a sublease for SpaceX that will allow the Hawthorne aerospace firm to use a marine terminal for its West Coast rocket recovery operations.
SpaceX was scheduled to open the facility on about 6.5 acres at Pier T at the start of this month. The company will use the site’s existing wharf to dock its vessels and offload equipment, according to a statement from port officials.
