A federal judge in Portland is conducting two hearings Friday in the labor slowdown that has disrupted cargo shipments at the Port of Portland.
In one, the National Labor Relations Board is seeking a court order to halt the slowdown. In the other, the judge will hear from the International Longshore and Warehouse Union. It wants the judge to order the terminal operator, ICTSI Oregon, to give Longshoremen the disputed jobs currently held by members of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers.
The dispute is over which union workers should plug-in and unplug refrigerated shipping containers.
The slowdown has prompted two shipping lines, Hapag-Lloyd and Hanjin, to divert ships to other ports.
