The International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) is campaigning to see a bill passed in Washington State that would prohibit funds available to ports for the purchase of zero or near zero emissions equipment from being used to purchase fully automated container handling equipment.
The ILWU is campaigning to see the bill passed “to help stop automated machinery from replacing longshore workers at the Ports of Tacoma and Seattle.” There is currently a new terminal in Seattle (Terminal-5) under construction.
Terminal specific agreements under the two main port labour contracts in the US have in some cases allowed remote controlled equipment, which is not technically “fully automated” by virtue of having a remote control operator. The bill now before the Washington Senate, however, would avoid any debate about what is or is not fully automated. It states that “”Fully automated marine container cargo handling equipment” means equipment that is remotely operated or remotely monitored, with or without the exercise of human intervention or control”.