Portside

ILWU Local 13 said employers have "thumbed their noses" at worker pay requests. The local, representing 12,000 longshoremen in Los Angeles and Long Beach, said rank-and-file union members "had taken it upon themselves to voice their displeasure."

If ILWU members don’t figure out how to use their ship-side strength to bolster unionization across the logistics industry, they will see their power erode, as shippers and terminal operators continue to shift work off the docks and away from the waterfront. The ILWU’s members, with their rich history, deserve as much from their union. They still have time to avoid the fate of once-strong unions like the UAW.