The National Labor Relations Board asked a federal judge in Portland on Friday to find the longshore union in contempt. It’s the latest step in an ongoing legal fight over refrigeration jobs at the Port of Portland.
Port of Portland Terminal 6
Lucila Cejas Epple / OPB
On Tuesday, Judge Michael Simon ordered the International Longshore and Warehouse Union to stop an illegal slowdown at Terminal 6. Port officials say that the next time the union showed up to work – on Wednesday - workers were slow to unload a Hapag-Lloyd ship.
Hapag-Lloyd had diverted two earlier deliveries from Portland in recent weeks. Port spokesman Josh Thomas says the company’s shipment next week is up in the air.
"They’re making that decision on a week-to-week basis, so we will await their decision, but we have not heard for certain whether or not they intend to call," Thomas said.
Thomas said a smaller carrier, Westwood, is expected on July 20 – but he said it doesn’t ship refrigerated cargo.
Terminal 6’s largest shipper, Hanjin, has avoided Portland three times since the labor conflict started. Port officials say that shipper plans to avoid Portland until the problems are settled.
