US court says ILWU is guilty over ICTSI dispute

International Container Terminal Services (ICTSI) expressed satisfaction over the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit unanimously affirming two National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) decisions that the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) is guilty of violating federal labor laws.

As explained, after a dispute of the Philippines-based terminal operator with the union, the D.C. Circuit Court upheld the NLRB’s findings that the ILWU engaged in deliberate work stoppages and slowdowns, made false safety claims, and engaged in other coercive conduct against ICTSI Oregon and its customers, in the US port of Portland.

In particular, the Court found that ILWU committed these acts to pressure the Port of Portland to reassign the work of plugging and unplugging refrigerated containers at Terminal 6 from the Port’s union-represented electricians to the ILWU.

    ICTSI Oregon’s CEO Elvis Ganda stressed: “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 labor law. Our effort continues in federal court here in Portland to hold the ILWU accountable and obtain compensation for the harm it has done.”

Earlier this year, these labor disputes caused ICTSI to terminate the 25-year operation deal at terminal 6 of the Port of Portland, only after six years of operations, which led to the departure of major cargo carriers from using the terminal.