International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU).
Communications Director for the International Longshore and Warehouse Union
PROFILE
Craig Merrilees
Guest
FROM Craig Merrilees
Which Way, L.A.?
Port Slowdown: Worrisome News for the Economy Since July, unionized dockworkers and shipping companies had been negotiating a new contract behind closed doors -- until a recent exchange of angry public accusations. Retailers, agricultural interests and others have warned President Obama about a slowdown at West Coast ports that could escalate into a strike or lockout, with tens of billions in economic losses. The Pacific Maritime Association says the International Longshore and Warehouse Union has orchestrated a slowdown at the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach. Today, there’s an added problem of a strike against two of the 1000 trucking firms that serve the Ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles. Thanks to Sasa Woodruff for production assistance.
Which Way, L.A.?
Seventh Day of Strike at the Ports of LA and Long Beach Several hundred clerical workers at the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach – without a contract for two-and-a-half years – began a strike last week. Other longshoremen honored the picket lines, and on the front page of today’s LA Times, you can see the result – a large photo of idle cranes and very large ships at anchor beyond them. The mayor says get this settled. And a question about that billion dollar number – from the man who says – that’s my estimate, and I don’t like it anymore.
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To the Point
Terrorism and tweets, hate speech and murder Just days before an election, Britain is coping with a rash of deadly terrorism, and Prime Minister Theresa May is on the defensive. And again today, President Trump has tweeted criticism of the Mayor of London. Later, a double murder in Portland, Oregon has revealed the ugly past of a supposedly “progressive” city. One immediate question: is “hate speech” protected by the First Amendment?
Left, Right & Center
How was the trip? President Trump's travels got less fun as he went from the Middle East to Europe.
To the Point
Is the threat from Russia missing from the Russia meddling probe? There's much being made about the Trump administration's possible ties with Russia. But the bottom line is Russia's effort to influence American democracy. Do the President and his aides care enough to take action before voters go back to the polls?