Mediator joins talks over unloading ship (Oakland Bay Bridge)

[Omaha Steve]

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/12/29/BAUB150R4V.DTL

Demian Bulwa, Chronicle Staff Writer

Tuesday, December 30, 2008

Oakland -- A third day of work on a key part of the new eastern span of the Bay Bridge was lost Monday as state transportation officials, their project contractor and longshore workers tried to negotiate an end to a thorny union labor squabble.

The parties in the unusual dispute, which is over who should unload steel structures for the bridge from a Chinese cargo ship moored since Friday at the Port of Oakland, met all day behind closed doors.

A federal mediator took part in the talks.

But after about 10 hours, no deal was struck, and the parties agreed to return to the bargaining table this morning.

Longshore workers say they have a right to unload the ship, while Caltrans is defending its decision to use two other unions, representing iron workers and operating engineers, who are involved in the Bay Bridge construction.

Caltrans says longshore workers have control over commercial docks, not construction sites and it asserts that the dock where the cargo ship is moored - Pier 7 - is a construction site because Caltrans is leasing the pier during construction of the bridge. Longshore workers reject that assertion.

FULL story at link.

[deadmessengers]

1. This is the kind of stuff that gives unions a bad name

Territorial dick-waving contests like this are not going to help anyone.

[HubertHeaver]

2. This is not "Territorial dick-waving". It is called

"standing on your rights". Longshoremen unload ships. Bridge-builders build bridges. Don't mix the two.
It is a favorite management trick to drive a wedge between two groups. To allow management to re-define a pier as a construction site sets a precedent which will be exploited well beyond original intent. Literally, you cannot give even an inch under the guise of being reasonable.