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Longshoremen to Return to Work this Evening

Aired October 09, 2002 - 13:25   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.


KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Well, we're all wondering, could this be good news for the economy, could it be good news for your holiday shopping as dock workers return to work this evening at West Coast ports where they have been locked out for ten days in a contract dispute?
President Bush invoked the Taft-Hartley Act, getting a temporary injunction to end the multi-billion dollar lockout.

Casey Wian is in Long Beach, California -- hi, Casey.

CASEY WIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Kyra. Already, some of the 10,500 members of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union are back on the job. So far, it is just clerical workers and mechanics here at the port of Long Beach. The real action is expected to begin about 6 p.m. local time tonight when the longshoremen return to work. They will begin unloading an estimated half million cargo containers, start moving them through the system. Right now, 200 ships remain stranded out at sea up and down the West Coast, waiting to unload their cargo.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JACK KYSER, L.A. ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION: The big problem, of course, is, well, which ship gets unloaded first, and they said it's going to be first come, first serve. But then you have got all the railroad equipment, you have got to move that in, because you've got container equipment sort of parked around in -- all over the Western United States. You've got trains loaded with soda ash, grain, coal that's bound for export. They're parked, and so you have to unwind this whole system.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WIAN: Part of unwinding that whole system will take place this afternoon, and we're already seeing signs of it. The California Trucking Association warns of chaos once the ports reopen for full business this evening. Thousands of trucks are expected to descend on the ports, lining up to unload their cargo and pick up cargo from the ships that have been stranded at sea.

Another big concern here, shippers are worried that the International Longshore and Warehouse Union will resume what they call work slowdowns. That is what led the shippers locking out the union in the first place. The union says it is not going to slow down, but it is going to continue to strictly observe all safety regulations. The shipper's association calls that a work slow down. Now, if the shippers can actually document that the union is slowing down, then the courts can intervene and take sanctions against the union. Either way, Kyra, it is going to take somewhere between six and nine weeks to get rid of all of the backlog of cargo that has been piling up as a result of this 11-day port lockout -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Now Casey, a lot of people have been concerned about the cargo. We are all concerned about the cargo, wondering if we are going to get produce and things like that. Now, there is also a military concern as we are talking about a war against Iraq, possibly. The president has been concerned about the movement of military equipment and supplies, right?

WIAN: Absolutely, and the president mentioned that as one of the reasons yesterday for invoking the Taft-Hartley Law, which is the law that gives him the power to order an 80-day cooling off period, and get both sides back to work, and continue negotiations with a federal mediator. In fact, the union says that all along it has offered to continue to move military cargo. The union claims that the shippers refused to let them do that.

Also, you have got 200 ships up and down the West Coast that are of concern because of their potential for being a target. So, the military issue is definitely at the forefront of getting these ports reopened -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: All right. Casey Wian in Long Beach. Thanks, Casey.

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 9, 2002 - 13:25   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Well, we're all wondering, could this be good news for the economy, could it be good news for your holiday shopping as dock workers return to work this evening at West Coast ports where they have been locked out for ten days in a contract dispute?
President Bush invoked the Taft-Hartley Act, getting a temporary injunction to end the multi-billion dollar lockout.

Casey Wian is in Long Beach, California -- hi, Casey.

CASEY WIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Kyra. Already, some of the 10,500 members of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union are back on the job. So far, it is just clerical workers and mechanics here at the port of Long Beach. The real action is expected to begin about 6 p.m. local time tonight when the longshoremen return to work. They will begin unloading an estimated half million cargo containers, start moving them through the system. Right now, 200 ships remain stranded out at sea up and down the West Coast, waiting to unload their cargo.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JACK KYSER, L.A. ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION: The big problem, of course, is, well, which ship gets unloaded first, and they said it's going to be first come, first serve. But then you have got all the railroad equipment, you have got to move that in, because you've got container equipment sort of parked around in -- all over the Western United States. You've got trains loaded with soda ash, grain, coal that's bound for export. They're parked, and so you have to unwind this whole system.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WIAN: Part of unwinding that whole system will take place this afternoon, and we're already seeing signs of it. The California Trucking Association warns of chaos once the ports reopen for full business this evening. Thousands of trucks are expected to descend on the ports, lining up to unload their cargo and pick up cargo from the ships that have been stranded at sea.

Another big concern here, shippers are worried that the International Longshore and Warehouse Union will resume what they call work slowdowns. That is what led the shippers locking out the union in the first place. The union says it is not going to slow down, but it is going to continue to strictly observe all safety regulations. The shipper's association calls that a work slow down. Now, if the shippers can actually document that the union is slowing down, then the courts can intervene and take sanctions against the union. Either way, Kyra, it is going to take somewhere between six and nine weeks to get rid of all of the backlog of cargo that has been piling up as a result of this 11-day port lockout -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Now Casey, a lot of people have been concerned about the cargo. We are all concerned about the cargo, wondering if we are going to get produce and things like that. Now, there is also a military concern as we are talking about a war against Iraq, possibly. The president has been concerned about the movement of military equipment and supplies, right?

WIAN: Absolutely, and the president mentioned that as one of the reasons yesterday for invoking the Taft-Hartley Law, which is the law that gives him the power to order an 80-day cooling off period, and get both sides back to work, and continue negotiations with a federal mediator. In fact, the union says that all along it has offered to continue to move military cargo. The union claims that the shippers refused to let them do that.

Also, you have got 200 ships up and down the West Coast that are of concern because of their potential for being a target. So, the military issue is definitely at the forefront of getting these ports reopened -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: All right. Casey Wian in Long Beach. Thanks, Casey.

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