ILA Local 333 struck for three days last October but resumed work after Arbitrator M. David Vaughn ruled the union had violated the no-strike clause in the ILA’s coastwide master contract [and] ordered the union to pay $3.8 million in damages.”We are committed to assist you to achieve a fair and equitable local contract and to remove any financial burdens or obstacles that are an attempt by employers and a misguided arbitrator to weaken your efforts for union representation.” — Dennis Daggett, president of the ILA’s Atlantic Coast District, in an open letter to Local 333 members
Local 333 voted down the employers’ “best and final” offer in February after Dennis Daggett, president of the union’s Atlantic Coast District, said a “no” vote would put the local in a better position to negotiate down the arbitrator’s award.
The ILA is insisting that the $3.8 million arbitrator’s award be lifted before negotiations resume. The Steamship Trade Association has said its final offer is already on the table.
