Labor and Management Blamed for Oakland Port Terminal Shutdown

The Port of Oakland's largest terminal was back in business Tuesday after a labor dispute shut it down the day before.

The International Longshore and Warehouse Union says SSA Marine, the operator of the Oakland International Container Terminal, told close to two dozen dockworkers to go home after they started work Monday at 7 a.m.

According to the ILWU, the workers' contract calls for them to arrive then, but SSA Marine wanted them to show up at 6:45 a.m.

The union initially said the workers were fired, but an ILWU spokesman clarified Tuesday that they got their jobs back.

After the company penalized workers Monday morning, dozens of other ILWU members who work at the terminal stopped working in protest. Operations at the terminal were suspended for the day but resumed at 8 p.m., port officials said.

An independent arbitrator was called to resolve the dispute. According to the union, that official says both sides are to blame.

The arbitrator decided that the company violated the contract and improperly "released" 22 workers, union spokesman Craig Merrilees said in an interview.

"That incident triggered a solidarity show of support from 44 workers who stood by in protest," Merrilees said. "Sometimes an employer will test to see whether the agreement and the contract that they signed is something they can push and manipulate, and try and gain some advantage. Naturally, workers feel that when you sign that agreement, you got to abide by it."

The dockworkers who were released were able to return to work on Tuesday, and operations at the terminal are back to normal, Mike Zampa, a Port of Oakland spokesman, said in an email.

The arbitrator also found that the 44 ILWU members who protested should have continued working, Merrilees said.

Wade Gates, a spokesman for the Pacific Maritime Association, has yet to comment on the dispute despite several requests for information.