Lockout of Dockworkers Called Off

A dispute between shipping lines and the dockworkers’ union came perilously close to paralyzing the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach today, but a shutdown was averted minutes before a 6 p.m. employer deadline Thursday.

The Pacific Maritime Assn., which represents West Coast shipping lines and terminal operators, had announced Thursday afternoon that it would lock out workers, starting with the 8 a.m. shift today, in response to a series of alleged worker slowdowns at a Long Beach terminal.

The lockout was called off when the International Longshore and Warehouse Union dispatched full work crews to the Stevedoring Services of America terminal for the evening shift. The company had been complaining since Monday that the union was failing to provide key equipment operators--stranding a ship loaded with millions of dollars worth of cargo containers from China and backing up other scheduled vessels.

The drama capped a week of escalating tensions between the management group and the union, now in their fourth month of difficult contract negotiations. Each side accused the other of manufacturing Thursday’s crisis to gain leverage in the talks, which are focused on the introduction of labor-saving technology.

Though frustrated by the day’s developments, each side warned that the brinkmanship could continue.

“We had the bodies tonight, but we’ll see what happens tomorrow,” said ILWU spokesman Steve Stallone. He denied there was a slowdown, saying the union simply did not have enough skilled equipment operators to handle the glut of work.

But the management group said the availability of workers Thursday night proved the shortage had been a false one. “Suddenly the union found enough people to do the work,” said PMA spokesman Steve Sugarman.

Truckers said Thursday they believed the turmoil had worsened congestion at the ports, which are already busy with record levels of cargo.

“It’s a mess. And it’s costing me money,” said trucker Juan M. Sanchez, who was stuck in a long line of big rigs Thursday afternoon.

A lockout--in which the workers are barred from entering the terminals--would strand millions of dollars worth of merchandise in the nation’s busiest port complex. The combined ports, which handle about 60% of the coast trade, moved a record 900,000 containers in the months of June, July and August.

Union and industry sources said any labor disruptions could quickly spread to other West Coast ports if union members act in sympathy. The contract being negotiated covers about 10,500 dockworkers from San Diego to Seattle.

A coast-wide shutdown could cost the U.S. economy $1 billion a day, according to a UC Berkeley study. A disruption now would come during the peak holiday shipping season.

If there is a lockout or strike, there is an expectation that the Bush administration would intervene to keep the ports open.

On Thursday, Federal Mediation and Conciliation Director Peter J. Hurten called for labor and management to “stand down” and offered his services.

“Before bringing this nation to a standstill through means of a work stoppage or lockout, we encourage the parties to exhaust all means available to them to settle this dispute,” he said in a statement.

Long before negotiations began in mid-May, PMA President Joseph Miniace said he would lock out the union if he detected a slowdown. He claimed the tactic was used to extract concessions during previous contract talks, which the union denied. Miniace said a complete shutdown would be more cost-effective than a slowdown, which he described as “a strike with pay.”

Earlier in the week, the union blamed terminal operator Stevedoring Services of America for taking a hard line during negotiations and blocking a deal. Union demonstrations were held in front of SSA facilities in Long Beach, Oakland and Seattle on Wednesday.

The uncertainty at the ports has unnerved importers and exporters, who are worried about keeping shelves stocked and assembly lines running in a just-in-time world.

Times staff writer Karen Robinson-Jacobs contributed to this report.