Union dockers in Bay Area vote against coal at proposed commodity terminal

Bay Area dockworkers have voted against a proposal to ship coal through a planned new bulk commodity terminal, according to the Bay Area News Group.

Unionised longshoremen at the northern California ports of Oakland and San Francisco say they object because coal is a low-value cargo and a contributor to harmful climate change. And they claim the developer – California Capital & Investment Group (CCIG) – is reneging on an earlier promise it made to the them, the community and politicians that there would be no coal handled at the new terminal.

The planned Oakland Bulk and Oversized Terminal (OBOT) is to be built on the site of a former Oakland army base.

Members of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) were moved to vote after media reports that CCIG would break its promise and take five million tons of coal annually by train from Utah and ship it to destinations in Asia.

Oakland City Council was holding a public hearing on the issue on Monday night.