'We Didn't Have Time to Train the Monkeys!' the 2002 Presidential Board of Inquiry on the Work Stoppage in the West Coast Ports

Arbitration 2004: New Issues and Innovations in Workplace Dispute Resolution, Chapter 3, 2004

21 Pages Posted: 11 Aug 2006

See all articles by Dennis Nolan

Dennis Nolan

University of South Carolina - Joseph F. Rice School of Law

Abstract

This paper examines the formation of the 2002 Presidential Board of Inquiry on the Work Stoppage in the West Coast Ports. It describes the emergency dispute provisions of the Taft-Hartley Act, 29 U.S.C. §§176-180. Two main issues created the impasse at the West Coast Ports: the introduction of new technology in the ports and the implications of that introduction for job security and work preservation, and general disagreement about the appropriate arbitration process in the next collective bargaining agreement. Although other disputes exist between the parties, such as terms involving wage increases, pension increases, and port security issues, both parties anticipate that they could reach agreement on these matters once the core issues involving technology and arbitration are resolved. Due to the seeds of distrust that have been sown, this paper concludes that we have no confidence that the parties will resolve the West Coast ports dispute within a reasonable time.

Keywords: taft-hartley, presidential board, work stoppage, west coast ports, labor law, wage, pension, presidential board

JEL Classification: K00, K31

Suggested Citation

Nolan, Dennis, 'We Didn't Have Time to Train the Monkeys!' the 2002 Presidential Board of Inquiry on the Work Stoppage in the West Coast Ports. Arbitration 2004: New Issues and Innovations in Workplace Dispute Resolution, Chapter 3, 2004, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=923644

Dennis Nolan (Contact Author)

University of South Carolina - Joseph F. Rice School of Law ( email )

1525 Senate Street
Columbia, SC 29208
United States

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