Dockworkers take May Day off, idling all West Coast ports

Thousands of dockworkers at 29 West Coast ports, including Los Angeles and Long Beach, took the day off work today in what their union called a protest of the war in Iraq, effectively shutting down operations at the busy complexes.

The show of force by the union came two months before the contract expires between the dockworkers, represented by the International Longshore and Warehouse Union, and the Pacific Maritime Assn., which represents port operators and large shippers, many of them foreign-owned.

“We are supporting the troops and telling politicians in Washington that it’s time to end the war in Iraq,” said union President Bob McEllrath.

At the Port of Los Angeles this morning, however, there were no anti-war activities–no protesters, no signs or banners with anti-war sentiments and no indication of any large-scale opposition of dockworkers to U.S. policy in Iraq.

McEllrath, whose comments came in a press release handed out by union officials near the Port of Los Angeles, said the 25,000 rank-and-file members decided in early January to stand down on May 1. The union members’ day off came despite an arbitrator’s orders that they report to work today. That order came after the Pacific Maritime Assn. complained about the planned action, which it said violates contract obligations. The union has contracts with 29 of the 32 West Coast ports.

“Is this a voluntary war protest or a strike aimed at leveraging labor negotiations–we’re not sure,” said Steve Getzug, spokesman for the Pacific Maritime Assn., representing terminal operators and large shippers. “We’re concerned. We thought these kinds of old tricks were a thing of the past.”The dockworkers’ action also affected ports in Oakland, Seattle and San Diego, and was expected to last from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Still, both union and port officials said they did not expect the loss of a single shift to affect the overall operations. At the ports in Los Angeles and Long Beach today, 15 ships were due to dock. Port officials said all were coming into berth as expected and will wait there until work gets underway again about 6 p.m.

The union’s action demonstrated the discipline of its membership. It also serves as a reminder of the 2002 dispute between the maritime association and the dockworkers that paralyzed West Coast ports for 10 days.

Dockworkers do virtually all the work involved in loading and unloading freight between ships and the port, handling containers brimming with toys, clothing, computers and automobiles.

As a result, big rig operators were being turned away at terminal gates with signs such as “No Trucks Allowed.”

Among them was Santo Calderon, 48, who was turned away at the TraPac terminal in San Pedro.

He was greeted by a security guard who simply said, “We’re closed.”

Before climbing back into his truck cab and leaving, Calderon shook his head and said, “I’m going to call my dispatcher and see if there is some other place open. If not, I’ll go back to the yard and rest the whole day. There is nothing else to do.”

Asked to explain why he was turning trucks away, a TraPac security guard, with a wave of his hand, simply said, “What you see behind me is all I can say about what’s going on.”

He was referring to the rare sight of 400-foot cranes standing still, harbor roads devoid of truck traffic, empty parking lots and an eerie quiet on the waterfront.

Two years ago today, activity at the ports was crippled when thousands of truckers stayed away from work in protest of U.S. immigration policy. The port truck drivers – predominantly Latinos – acted individually in participating in the “Day Without Immigrants,” which also shuttered thousands of Latino-owned businesses throughout the region and country.

At the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, the nation’s busiest, as few as 10% of the truckers showed up to haul freight that day. Longshore workers, however, continued loading and unloading ships.

Times staff writer Ron-Gong Lin II contributed to this report.

Louis.sahagun@latimes.com