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First Dockworkers Along West Coast Expected Back to Work Tonight

Aired October 09, 2002 - 09:15   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.


BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: The first dockworkers along the West Coast expected back to work later tonight after the president ordered a judge to order an end to that standoff. The president invoked a Taft-Hartley Act, the first time in more than two decades and the first time ever to end a lockout rather than a strike. In our "Minding Your Business" segment this hour, Casey Wian joins us live from Long Beach, California.
The day has yet to dawn, but a very interesting one straight ahead.

Casey, good morning.

CASEY WIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Bill.

And absolutely, you know, it's a very different feeling down here at the port of Long Beach. I've been down here almost every day for a week and a half since this lockout began, and the one thing you don't see today that you've seen every other day is dockworkers walking up and down the terminals with picket signs. It's very quiet this morning. As you mentioned, we're expecting the ports to reopen. The expectation is 6:00 p.m. local time, 9:00 p.m. East Coast Time, that work will resume on the docks full time, for the first time in some one week and a half.

This after a flurry of activity yesterday including, as you mentioned, President Bush invoking the Taft-Hartley Act, which ultimately could lead to the order of an 80-day cooling-off period and continued federal mediation for both parties. A federal judge yesterday evening approved that request.

The Pacific Maritime Association, which represents the shippers and the terminal operators rejected a last-minute offer from the Longshoreman's union to have a 30-day contract extension. The PMA says that Taft-Hartley is a better alternative.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Under Taft-Hartley, the Federal Mediation Service now has the mandate to command and assist the parties. For about five months, the ILWU resisted the federal mediation's participation. Now they will have to participate, and all of the issues will be on the table.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SCOTT KRONLAND, AFL-CIO ATTORNEY: This was a misuse by the Bush administration of the Taft-Hartley Act to put it thumb on the scale, on the side of employers. It's not going to be forgotten by working people in the November elections. Government intervention is not going to solve labor disputes. It's not for the Bush administration to be with the employers, this walkout would likely never have happened.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WIAN: Now the shippers are very worried that the union will resume its work slowdowns, which is what caused the shippers to lock out the union in the first place. The union, of course, saying the Bush administration taking sides in this dispute and standing against workers. But we do need to point out, however, that four million jobs are dependent on these West Coast ports. So some could say that the administration was taking a stand for workers.

Meanwhile, we're expecting thousands of trucks to begin lining up here at the port of Long Beach and the neighboring port of Los Angeles later today. The California Trucking Association warns of chaos. We're expecting trucks to spill out on to local highways, so even commuters may feel the impact of this backlog of cargo. Some 200 ships lining up and down the West Coast, waiting to unload and load the cargo that they need to continue their journeys. It's expected to take somewhere between six and nine weeks to unload this backlog -- Bill.

HEMMER: Six to nine weeks, that's amazing. What have you been able to gauge? We hear $1 to $2 billion lost every day, we hear about food rotting in the cargo holds off the shore of Long Beach. We hear about holiday sales being affected by this. Your best gauge on the consumer is what right now, Casey, on this story?

WIAN: Well, it's tough to say. You are seeing some minor shortages of some agricultural products in some places. Now that this has been settled, at least temporarily, the Christmas Season should be OK. Most retailers prepared for this. They may not be as much impact on consumers, especially coming up to the all-important Christmas season for retailers, but we have to point out that this is only an 80-day cooling off period. The judge may shorten that, or could even lengthen that, and once that is over and there's no deal, there's the possibility that the slowdown could begin again. So you just never know, Bill.

HEMMER: Thank you, Casey. Casey Wian in Long Beach for us. Could be another reason for a traffic jam today.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com




Tonight>


Aired October 9, 2002 - 09:15   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: The first dockworkers along the West Coast expected back to work later tonight after the president ordered a judge to order an end to that standoff. The president invoked a Taft-Hartley Act, the first time in more than two decades and the first time ever to end a lockout rather than a strike. In our "Minding Your Business" segment this hour, Casey Wian joins us live from Long Beach, California.
The day has yet to dawn, but a very interesting one straight ahead.

Casey, good morning.

CASEY WIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Bill.

And absolutely, you know, it's a very different feeling down here at the port of Long Beach. I've been down here almost every day for a week and a half since this lockout began, and the one thing you don't see today that you've seen every other day is dockworkers walking up and down the terminals with picket signs. It's very quiet this morning. As you mentioned, we're expecting the ports to reopen. The expectation is 6:00 p.m. local time, 9:00 p.m. East Coast Time, that work will resume on the docks full time, for the first time in some one week and a half.

This after a flurry of activity yesterday including, as you mentioned, President Bush invoking the Taft-Hartley Act, which ultimately could lead to the order of an 80-day cooling-off period and continued federal mediation for both parties. A federal judge yesterday evening approved that request.

The Pacific Maritime Association, which represents the shippers and the terminal operators rejected a last-minute offer from the Longshoreman's union to have a 30-day contract extension. The PMA says that Taft-Hartley is a better alternative.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Under Taft-Hartley, the Federal Mediation Service now has the mandate to command and assist the parties. For about five months, the ILWU resisted the federal mediation's participation. Now they will have to participate, and all of the issues will be on the table.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SCOTT KRONLAND, AFL-CIO ATTORNEY: This was a misuse by the Bush administration of the Taft-Hartley Act to put it thumb on the scale, on the side of employers. It's not going to be forgotten by working people in the November elections. Government intervention is not going to solve labor disputes. It's not for the Bush administration to be with the employers, this walkout would likely never have happened.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WIAN: Now the shippers are very worried that the union will resume its work slowdowns, which is what caused the shippers to lock out the union in the first place. The union, of course, saying the Bush administration taking sides in this dispute and standing against workers. But we do need to point out, however, that four million jobs are dependent on these West Coast ports. So some could say that the administration was taking a stand for workers.

Meanwhile, we're expecting thousands of trucks to begin lining up here at the port of Long Beach and the neighboring port of Los Angeles later today. The California Trucking Association warns of chaos. We're expecting trucks to spill out on to local highways, so even commuters may feel the impact of this backlog of cargo. Some 200 ships lining up and down the West Coast, waiting to unload and load the cargo that they need to continue their journeys. It's expected to take somewhere between six and nine weeks to unload this backlog -- Bill.

HEMMER: Six to nine weeks, that's amazing. What have you been able to gauge? We hear $1 to $2 billion lost every day, we hear about food rotting in the cargo holds off the shore of Long Beach. We hear about holiday sales being affected by this. Your best gauge on the consumer is what right now, Casey, on this story?

WIAN: Well, it's tough to say. You are seeing some minor shortages of some agricultural products in some places. Now that this has been settled, at least temporarily, the Christmas Season should be OK. Most retailers prepared for this. They may not be as much impact on consumers, especially coming up to the all-important Christmas season for retailers, but we have to point out that this is only an 80-day cooling off period. The judge may shorten that, or could even lengthen that, and once that is over and there's no deal, there's the possibility that the slowdown could begin again. So you just never know, Bill.

HEMMER: Thank you, Casey. Casey Wian in Long Beach for us. Could be another reason for a traffic jam today.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com




Tonight>