LOS ANGELES -- Longshoremen at the Port of Los Angeles returned to work Tuesday after a waterfront arbitrator determined that members of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union could not honor picket lines erected by striking port architects and engineers.

Cargo handling at most of the port's container terminals were interrupted for several hours Tuesday, but the longshoremen were all expected to be back on their jobs by noon local time.

All but one of the container terminals at the Port of Los Angeles were shut down Tuesday morning when the ILWU honored picket lines of the striking Engineers and Architects Association.  The 7,500 members of the municipal employees union work throughout the city, including at the port and Los Angeles International Airport.

The Pacific Maritime Association, which represents shipping lines and terminal operators in administering the West Coast waterfront contract, Tuesday morning asked the joint ILWU-PMA arbitrator to step in when strikers set up pickets throughout the harbor.

The PMA contended that under the contract, longshoremen cannot honor the picket lines because the striking architects and engineers do not work at the terminals and are not being replaced by other workers during the job action, said PMA President Jim McKenna.

The arbitrator agreed with the employers and ordered the longshoremen back to work, McKenna said. He added that the dock workers will not be paid for the time they spent off the job.

Earlier Tuesday, the ILWU honored pickets at APM Terminals, the terminal operator for Maersk Line, but the pickets later left and the longshoremen returned to work.  All other terminals had been shut down, though.

Port of Los Angeles spokeswoman Theresa Adams Lopez said there were also about 20 picketers at the port's headquarters building.

The neighboring Port of Long Beach was not affected by the job action in Los Angeles.

The architects and engineers have been working without a contract since 2004, when contract talks reached an impasse.  The strike was spurred after the City Council last week voted to invoke state law and unilaterly impose its last offer on the union.

 

By Bill Mongelluzzo