NLRB: ILWU union violated federal labour law

US independent federal agency National Labour Relations Board (NLRB) has concluded that the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU International) and its affiliated ILWU Local 8 violated federal labour law by carrying out coercive activity against ICTSI Oregon, Inc. at the Port of Portland.

NLRB affirmed the decision of administrative law judge Jeffrey D. Wedekind that ILWU member workers intentionally interfered with productivity at International Container Terminal Services, Inc. (ICTSI)’s terminal 6 between September 2012 and June 2013, and that ILWU International and Local 8 are responsible for their illegal conduct.

The agency concluded that longshoremen employed by ICTSI Oregon have unnecessarily operated cranes and drive trucks in a “slow and nonproductive manner”, refused to hoist cranes in bypass mode and refused to move two 20 ft containers at a time on older carts.