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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Dockworkers’ union wants new arbitrator, sources say

A man in the foreground talks on the phone Tuesday in the San Pedro section of Los Angeles as cargo ships are anchored near the ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles. (Associated Press)
Justin Pritchard Associated Press

LOS ANGELES – The labor-management standoff that is disrupting billions of dollars of international trade at West Coast seaports now centers on the future of one man who resolves workplace disputes at the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach.

After nine months of bargaining for a new contract and weeks of partial port shutdowns, dockworkers and their employers disagree on whether they should change the system for arbitrating allegations of work slowdowns, discrimination and other conflicts.

More specifically, their quarrel is focused on the man who since 2002 has arbitrated grievances in Southern California.

Three people with knowledge of the contract talks say negotiators for the dockworkers’ union want arbitrator David Miller out, while the association representing employers will not support changes that would allow his immediate removal.

The people insisted on anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the negotiations publicly.

Union negotiators believe Miller favors employers in disputes. , In a letter to members last week, the union’s president wrote that negotiators for employers were unwilling to budge because their side benefits from the current system.

Miller told the Associated Press he is aware he has become the focal point of the closed-door talks but is unsure why. He figures in the hundreds of decisions he has issued, he upset someone who is now getting back at him.

“I’m bewildered as anybody else on the outside looking in,” Miller said.

U.S. Labor Secretary Thomas Perez entered the standoff Tuesday, when he settled into his new mission of forging a new contract. Perez does not have legal authority to force an agreement, but outsiders hope he can coax one that would end the protracted troubles.

Spokesmen for the International Longshore and Warehouse Union and the Pacific Maritime Association, which represents shipping lines that carry cargo and port terminal operators that handle it once ships dock, declined comment, citing a media blackout.

As negotiations drag on, the consequences of the cargo bottleneck are rippling through the U.S. economy.

The 29 ports on the West Coast handle about $1 trillion worth of goods annually, including Asian imports as well as U.S. exports.

On Tuesday, 32 massive ocean-going vessels were anchored and awaiting a berth at the twin ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach – the nation’s largest port complex. The scene was similar outside the smaller ports of Oakland, and Seattle and Tacoma.