The Port of Portland’s executive director has rejected a recent proposal from president of Common Sense for Oregon for the port’s Terminal 6.
Bill Wyatt believes that creating a state-owned authority, Oregon Shipping Authority (OSA), does not solve the problems which currently face the terminal.
Mr Wyatt accepted that restoring service at Terminal 6 still remains a challenge: “We are seeing a carrier industry that is struggling from overcapacity, low freight rates and a significant reshuffling of alliances affecting vessel deployments and routing decisions.”
The proposal from Mr Mannix suggests making longshoreman public employees, but the Port of Portland executive director argued that this would likely not be acceptable to the unions or shipping lines who collectively bargain with the ILWU under the West Coast agreement.
“Public entities like that Port of Portland have not been considered for membership in the Pacific Maritime Association and it is highly unlikely that they ever would be, which means the new entity could not employ longshoremen directly or as state employees.”
