Monday, September 7

Labor Union Demands No New Technology!

So, how bad can unions be for America? Very bad. Take this demand from the International Longshoremen's Association:
Technology proved the key obstacle to efforts by the ILA and USMX to negotiate a two-year extension to the current six-year contract, which expires Sept. 30, 2010. The ILA’s 200-member wage scale committee rejected a management offer Wednesday in a vote described as unanimous. No new talks have been scheduled.

James Capo, chairman and CEO of United States Maritime Alliance, said he was disappointed by rejection of what management considered a “fair and very generous offer.” But he said employers won’t yield to ILA demands to halt the introduction of labor-saving technology at ports.

Our members are adamant that they are not going to allow the ILA to basically veto technology. If that happens, we’re all dead,” Capo said. “We cannot and will not agree to that position, ever.”

The ILA demanded a freeze on introduction of new technology during the contract extension. The ILA’s executive vice president, Harold Daggett, who plans to seek the union presidency in 2011, was especially vocal on the issue, saying he wanted to prevent the spread of automated terminals like the one APM Terminals opened two years ago in Hampton Roads. - Journal of Commerce
Is it any wonder why labor unions are so unpopular:
Gruesome new poll numbers on public support for unions--the percent who say they "mostly hurt"the U.S. economy jumps from 39% in 2006 to 51% last month, for example. .... Tom Edsall calls them "horror show numbers" and wants an explanation! Hmmm. I wish I could say "card check"--the labor plan to avoid secret ballots when organizing--but that isn't the most visible of the roles unions have played recently. - Kausfiles
Here is a look at the type of work these unions are protecting by denying the introduction of new technology:

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(Direct Link: Longshoreman I.L.A. Local 1349 Part 2)

This is straight out of the third-world.
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