THE dockers union at the Port of Long Beach has sounded a warning at news of Total Terminals International's (TTI) plan to automate its 385-acre Pier T, reports IHS Media.
The union opposes the project on the grounds it will eliminate jobs, but employers say automation is needed to keep the port competitive.
'As the Long Beach Harbour Commission, the mayor of Long Beach, and the executive director of the Port of Long Beach consider TTI's request, we ask that it carefully weigh the impacts that continued automation would have on American jobs and our local communities,' said the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) local president Danny Miranda.
Jim McKenna, president of the Pacific Maritime Association (PMA), which represents west coast terminal operators said the additional capacity brought by automating TTI Long Beach is crucial to stemming cargo diversions to other ports.
'When you can't handle cargo, the cargo leaves,' Mr McKenna said.
At issue is a plan to replace manually operated stacking cranes and yard tractors with driverless machines. It will almost certainly be an issue again next spring when the ILWU and PMA launch negotiations to replace the current contract that expires on July 1, 2022.
TTI would become the fourth automated terminal in southern California. Long Beach Container Terminal (LBCT) and TraPac in Los Angeles are fully automated, meaning all cargo-handling functions in the container yards - but not ship-to-shore cranes - are conducted with driverless equipment.
APM Terminal's Pier 400 project involves automation of 100 acres at the 440-acre facility through the use of automated straddle carriers that shuttle containers within that portion of the facility.
ILWU Local 10 in 2019 tried unsuccessfully to convince the city of Los Angeles to block a construction project for the APM Terminals automation project.
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The union opposes the project on the grounds it will eliminate jobs, but employers say automation is needed to keep the port competitive.
'As the Long Beach Harbour Commission, the mayor of Long Beach, and the executive director of the Port of Long Beach consider TTI's request, we ask that it carefully weigh the impacts that continued automation would have on American jobs and our local communities,' said the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) local president Danny Miranda.
Jim McKenna, president of the Pacific Maritime Association (PMA), which represents west coast terminal operators said the additional capacity brought by automating TTI Long Beach is crucial to stemming cargo diversions to other ports.
'When you can't handle cargo, the cargo leaves,' Mr McKenna said.
At issue is a plan to replace manually operated stacking cranes and yard tractors with driverless machines. It will almost certainly be an issue again next spring when the ILWU and PMA launch negotiations to replace the current contract that expires on July 1, 2022.
TTI would become the fourth automated terminal in southern California. Long Beach Container Terminal (LBCT) and TraPac in Los Angeles are fully automated, meaning all cargo-handling functions in the container yards - but not ship-to-shore cranes - are conducted with driverless equipment.
APM Terminal's Pier 400 project involves automation of 100 acres at the 440-acre facility through the use of automated straddle carriers that shuttle containers within that portion of the facility.
ILWU Local 10 in 2019 tried unsuccessfully to convince the city of Los Angeles to block a construction project for the APM Terminals automation project.
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