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CNN Live At Daybreak
Ports Remain Closed
Aired October 02, 2002 - 06:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Let's get the latest on that West Coast dock dispute; 29 ports remain shut down this morning in a labor standoff between dock workers and shipping companies.
Talks aimed at resolving the impasse came to a crashing halt yesterday before they even got started.
CNN's Eric Horng is live in Long Beach, California.
Eric -- what can we expect today?
ERIC HORNG, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, it's hard to say exactly if the two sides will even meet again.
You know, you said it right. Before yesterday's bargaining session, there was a certain amount of confidence and optimism the two sides could soon reach an agreement, but today, a much different story. It's unclear exactly when those two sides will meet again.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
HORNG (voice-over): Talks broke down Tuesday before they even began; union leaders storming out of a federal mediation session, objecting to the presence of armed security guards accompanying a management negotiator.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Armed thugs out in the hallway with guns. This is totally unacceptable to us.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: At this point, you have to question whether the union wants to solve this dispute.
HORNG: Meantime, the number of stranded ships has grown to more than 150. It's a scene repeated up and down the West Coast. Cargo containers carrying millions of dollars worth of goods stuck on ships with nowhere to unload.
The only activity at West Coast ports: picketing. These longshoremen have been locked out since the weekend by the Pacific Maritime Association, which represents the shipping lines. The PMA accusing the union of a deliberate work slowdown.
The union has been without a contract for five months. The main sticking point: technology. Shippers want more automation introduced at ports to improve efficiency, a move, the union says, would eliminate positions. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What we're looking for in this set of bargaining are jobs -- jobs that remain in the industry, jobs that are ours under the contract.
HORNG: The lockout comes at a critical time, when everything from car parts to electronics to furniture arrive for the upcoming holiday shopping season. Exports, including those to Hawaii and Alaska, are affected as well, with consumers in those states likely to feel a pinch first.
Rotting fruits and vegetables, originally bound for Asia, could cost U.S. farmers millions of dollars.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HORNG: Now, yesterday, the nation's largest retail group, the National Retail Federation, sent a letter to the White House asking the president for intervention. But the administration has yet to signal when, or if, it plans to take that action.
Carol -- back to you.
COSTELLO: We'll keep our eyes on this. Thank you very much -- Eric Horng reporting live from California this morning.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com.
Aired October 2, 2002 - 06:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Let's get the latest on that West Coast dock dispute; 29 ports remain shut down this morning in a labor standoff between dock workers and shipping companies.
Talks aimed at resolving the impasse came to a crashing halt yesterday before they even got started.
CNN's Eric Horng is live in Long Beach, California.
Eric -- what can we expect today?
ERIC HORNG, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, it's hard to say exactly if the two sides will even meet again.
You know, you said it right. Before yesterday's bargaining session, there was a certain amount of confidence and optimism the two sides could soon reach an agreement, but today, a much different story. It's unclear exactly when those two sides will meet again.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
HORNG (voice-over): Talks broke down Tuesday before they even began; union leaders storming out of a federal mediation session, objecting to the presence of armed security guards accompanying a management negotiator.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Armed thugs out in the hallway with guns. This is totally unacceptable to us.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: At this point, you have to question whether the union wants to solve this dispute.
HORNG: Meantime, the number of stranded ships has grown to more than 150. It's a scene repeated up and down the West Coast. Cargo containers carrying millions of dollars worth of goods stuck on ships with nowhere to unload.
The only activity at West Coast ports: picketing. These longshoremen have been locked out since the weekend by the Pacific Maritime Association, which represents the shipping lines. The PMA accusing the union of a deliberate work slowdown.
The union has been without a contract for five months. The main sticking point: technology. Shippers want more automation introduced at ports to improve efficiency, a move, the union says, would eliminate positions. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What we're looking for in this set of bargaining are jobs -- jobs that remain in the industry, jobs that are ours under the contract.
HORNG: The lockout comes at a critical time, when everything from car parts to electronics to furniture arrive for the upcoming holiday shopping season. Exports, including those to Hawaii and Alaska, are affected as well, with consumers in those states likely to feel a pinch first.
Rotting fruits and vegetables, originally bound for Asia, could cost U.S. farmers millions of dollars.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HORNG: Now, yesterday, the nation's largest retail group, the National Retail Federation, sent a letter to the White House asking the president for intervention. But the administration has yet to signal when, or if, it plans to take that action.
Carol -- back to you.
COSTELLO: We'll keep our eyes on this. Thank you very much -- Eric Horng reporting live from California this morning.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com.
