usma,ila have agreed to resume negotiations

[checkergate4]

Statement by FMCS Director George H. Cohen
On United States Maritime Alliance
And International Longshoremen’s Association
Labor Negotiations
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Upon the request of the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service
(FMCS), the parties have agreed to resume negotiations under our auspices during the week of
September 17, 2012. Due to the sensitivity of this high profile dispute and consistent with the
Agency’s longstanding practice, we will not disclose either the location of the meeting or the
content of the substantive negotiations that will take place.
###
The Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service, created in 1947, is an independent U.S. government agency whose
mission is to preserve and promote labor-management peace and cooperation. Headquartered in Washington, DC,
with 10 district offices and 67 field offices, the agency provides mediation and conflict resolution services to
industry, government agencies and communities.

[dontcountonit]

Two Retailers Prepare for ILA Strike Possibility

Mark Szakonyi, Associate Editor

Sep 6, 2012

The Journal of Commerce Online - News Story


Dollar General, Phillips-Van would move more goods through West Coast consolidation centers

In a sign of the growing threat of a strike by the International Longshoremen’s Association at ports on the East and Gulf coasts, financial analysts asked two of the largest U.S. retailers how they are preparing for the possibility.

Dollar General said it would move more products through its West Coast consolidation center if the ILA and United States Maritime Alliance failed to forge a new contract by the end of the month. The current contract expires Sept. 30. Negotiations between the two groups broke down Aug. 22, and ILA President Harold Daggett has warned a strike is likely.

The discount retailer feels “pretty good that we have it covered” if East Coast import traffic is disrupted, David Tehle, chief financial officer at Dollar General, said in a Sept. 5 earnings call, according to a SeekingAlpha transcript.

Phillips-Van, maker of Calvin Klein and Tommy Hilfiger, also has a contingency plan in place in which more products would be filtered through the West Coast, Mike Shaffer, the retailer’s chief financial officer, told investors on Aug. 28. “So, we are absolutely looking and monitoring closely,” he said.

Contact Mark Szakonyi at [e-mail]. Follow him on Twitter @szakonyi_joc.