A drawing for coveted part-time dockworker jobs at the Los Angeles and Long Beach ports was abruptly postponed Monday after union officials suddenly pulled out, apparently because of a problem in the handing of interest cards from applicants.
Tens of thousands of hopefuls submitted their names for the drawing, which will guarantee winners a freelance job as a “casual” longshore worker and the possibility of becoming a full-time union member raking in more than $100,000 a year.
But now the process negotiated by the International Longshore and Warehouse Union and its employer, the Pacific Maritime Association, is in limbo.
“Unfortunately, ILWU Local 13 chose not to participate,” PMA spokesman Wade Gates said in a prepared statement. “The parties will meet in the grievance process to restart the casual draw.”
ILWU Local 13 officials could not be reached for comment as to why they withdrew, but they had expressed concerns last week about problems with the once-in-a generation lottery for the nation’s most sought-after blue-collar jobs.
Local 13 Vice President Mondo Porras said he had received complaints that some of the submissions were returned from the post office.
Then on Friday, the ILWU Local 13, representing about 7,000 dockworkers, posted a plea to their membership to report any problems with interest cards.
“It has come to the officers’ attention that many interest and replacement cards were returned to the senders by the U.S. post office in error,” the post said.
Those cards were issued by the union to members and officials that can be passed on to relatives or friends who want to submit their name to the lottery. Interest cards help secure hopefuls a more favorable spot in the drawing.
The distribution, collection and administration of the lottery was overseen by Moorpark-based InterOptimis but, on Monday, the company referred calls to the union.
For its part, the PMA said it wants to move forward with the lottery to help avoid a labor shortage at the docks.
“We are ready to move forward with the thousands of new hires needed to help keep cargo flowing through the Southern California ports,” Gates noted in the statement. “We look forward to working with the ILWU to begin the drawing soon to meet the labor needs of the West Coast waterfront.”
Our editors found this article on this site using Google and regenerated it for our readers.
