International Container Terminal Services, Inc (ICTSI) on Wednesday hailed a US appeals court decision that found the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) guilty of coercive behaviour that violated federal labour laws.
The decision pertained to ILWU actions in the Port of Portland where the union was in dispute with ICTSI, the Philippines-headquartered port management company.
In ruling, the US Court of Appeals in Washington DC upheld two National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) decisions that found the union had used work stoppages and slowdowns and made false safety claims to pressure ICTSI Oregon to reassign some work at the port’s Terminal 6 to ILWU workers.
ICTSI Oregon’s CEO Elvis Ganda said: “We are extremely pleased with the DC Circuit decisions because this means that the Court, as well as the NLRB, confirmed our position that the ILWU’s actions at Terminal 6 violated federal labour law. Our effort continues in federal court here in Portland to hold the ILWU accountable and obtain compensation for the harm it has done.”
Labour disputes played a part in forcing ICTSI to end its 25-year lease deal with the Port of Portland in March this year, only seven years into the deal. The mutually agreed termination followed the withdrawal of several big shipping companies from using the terminal.
