Port of Long Beach photo by Don Ramey Logan from Wikimedia Commons.
Officials with Total Terminals International, which operates out of Pier T, met with union leaders on Monday, May 17, to lay out their plans to transition to automate the 385-acre site, commonly known as the Hanjin Terminal.
TTI representatives were not available for comment.
But the International Longshore and Warehouse Union was quick to issue a response following the meeting, saying the proposal threatens U.S. jobs and local economies. Participating in the meeting were representatives of ILWU Locals 13, 63 and 94.
“The bottom line is we’ve already proved that as Americans we’ll do anything we can to keep the cargo moving,” Ramon Ponce de Leon, president of ILWU Local 13, said in a telephone interview.
The past year saw cargo surged to unprecedented levels amid the coronavirus pandemic, while staffing shortages plagued the ports because of dockworkers testing positive for COVID-19. That resulted in longshore workers clocking long hours, earning the praise of both ports’ executive directors.