They don't seem to have any ILWU thugs to deal with when ships come calling at Astoria Anchorage, but businesses in town and in nearby Warrenton get a boost from shopping crew members; everybody from water taxis to cabs to the local shops and restaurants benefit as they open their wallets.
The rest of Oregon, however, isn't so fortunate, as ILWU thugs continue to disrupt commerce. They've walked off the job twice again this week, and they're doing a remarkable job of making the case for their replacement with automation.
One Hanjin vessel abandoned plans to call at the Port of Portland this week after repeated delays in loading and unloading another cargo ship already in port. The Port of Portland confirmed the vessel had turned away from Portland.
Stayton's Mastercraft Furniture shut down for over two weeks this month because fire retardant material required for product construction failed to arrive thanks to ILWU interference. 180 employees lost their paychecks as a result. Farmers are losing out as well, as their agricultural products sit on the docks.
What is needed here is not "mediation" between the thugs and the Pacific Maritime Association; what is needed is exactly what President Reagan did to the airline traffic controllers: the ILWU needs to experience a massive firing. For the time being, the jerks need to be replaced with people who are actually willing to do the work, and the PMA needs to devote serious attention to automating those jobs.
Robots don't walk out, they don't slow down, and they don't engage in sabotage. Better yet, they don't require lunch breaks and health insurance.
Let the ILWU thugs flip burgers for a living.
