Looming Port Strike Deadline Pressures Obama to Intervene

[Teamster Jeff]

Source: Bloomberg

President Barack Obama is facing pressure to intervene and prevent a strike that would gridlock eastern U.S. ports and risk damaging industries from retail to manufacturing.

Federal mediators have been pushing for a deal between dockworkers and their employers before a Dec. 29 deadline. Talks between the International Longshoremen’s Association and the U.S. Maritime Alliance broke down last week amid a dispute over so-called container royalty fees, or levies that supplement wages.

A walkout would be the first at East Coast and Gulf Coast ports since 1977, and would halt shipments of containerized cargo, including clothing, frozen foods and car parts. Obama would be left to choose between forsaking a pro-labor stance by invoking the 1947 Taft-Hartley Act and allowing a union action that could compound the effects of the fiscal cliff.


Read more: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-12-27/looming-port-strike-deadline-pressures-obama-to-intervene.html

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A strike would have to be considered a "national emergency" in order for the government to intervene under Taft-Hartley.

[Fuddnik]

1. Rick Scott has been pushing Obama to invoke Taft-Hartley.

Fuck him.

Strike!

[Teamster Jeff]

3. Agreed

Walmart missing some shipments of cheap shit made by slave labor is not a "national emergency"

[reteachinwi]

7. Connecting labor abuses

along the big box store's supply chain will hopefully be part of the International Longshoremen's Association's media strategy.

http://truth-out.org/news/item/13532-wal-mart-targeted-over-corruption-and-labor-practices

[msongs]

2. extortion used to be illegal in the USA nt

[Omaha Steve]

4. Does Obama have those comfortable shoes?

Overall he has been good to labor.

[Diego_Native 2012]

5. Since when is a union sanctioned strike of a non-essential industry

considered a National Emergency.

This is merely the movement of consumer goods around the country for the profit of private enterprises. On the other side are free men and women exercising their right to strike. I certainly hope beyond hope that Obama doesn't cave to corporate interests in this. It isn't the type of support Unions need after Michigan and Wisconsin.

[byeya]

6. Who exactly is Obama feeling pressure from? The corporatists I am guessing. I am also guessing he'll

give in and with a heavy heart make a speech in support of collective bargaining while giving a hatchet job to collective bargaining.

Bring back secondary boycotts!