Talks resume in L.A.-Long Beach harbors strike

Clerical workers picket in the rain at the entrance to Pier 400 at the Port of Los Angeles Thursday, Nov. 29, 2012. Cargo ships were stacking up at the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach as a strike by about 70 clerical workers shut down most of the terminals that together are the nation's busiest port complex. / AP Photo/Nick Ut

Last Updated 7:30 p.m. ET

LOS ANGELES

A strike at the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach continued for the fourth day on Friday despite efforts to end the walkout that has idled most of the nation's busiest cargo complex.

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Strike halts business at Port of L.A. and Long Beach

Seven of eight terminals in Los Angeles and three of six in Long Beach were closed to cargo container traffic as 10,000 dockworkers refused to cross picket lines set up by union clerical workers who claim shippers are outsourcing their jobs.

The strike began with 70 workers, and now all 800 members of their union are on strike.

There were a handful of picketers at each terminal on Friday, said Phillip Sanfield, Los Angeles port spokesman.

Combined, Los Angeles and Long Beach handle 40 percent of the nation's import trade.

"There's probably about $1 billion worth of goods that come through this port every day, and we've probably got about 900,000 people in the southland whose jobs are tied to the activity going through this port," Geraldine Knatz, the executive director of the Port of Los Angeles, told CBS News' John Blackstone.

"If the ships are not working, the truckers are not working, the warehouse people are not working, it will ripple through the supply chain," Knatz said. She said that even a very short delay can mean stores may not get a shipment on the day they expect it.

The ports are clogged with 16 ships waiting to be unloaded, while another six are anchored off the coast.

The walkout involves clerical workers from a chapter of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union. Dockworkers are a separate unit of the same union.

The striking workers handle all the paperwork that gets cargo from the port to the rest of the country and earn an average of $85,000 a year, Blackstone reported. They say their jobs, most of which are done on a computer, are being sent to other countries.

The clerical workers' contracts with 14 terminal operators expired two years ago. Ongoing contract talks broke off on Monday then resumed on Thursday, ran until midnight and were scheduled to continue on Friday.

"In the last five years, we've lost 51 jobs and during negotiations they would like to lose another 71," Trini Thompson, who is on the negotiating team for the unions, told Blackstone. "So that's a large impact on us."

The chief negotiator for the shippers remained hopeful about a resolution, saying the talks have been professional and courteous.

"There's a mutual commitment to go forward," said Stephen Berry of the Los Angeles/Long Beach Harbor Employers Association. "The employers remain hopeful that there will be a quick resolution and we can get the cargo flowing again."

Berry told CBS News that the employees have "guaranteed jobs for life."

"We have a no-layoff clause," he said. "There's probably 25 million Americans who are looking for work right now who wish they had a no-layoff clause."

There was no immediate word on how much the strike is costing the ports. November generally is a slower time for the ports because most holiday goods already have been handled.

However, there were concerns that a continued widespread strike could prompt retaliation from terminal operators. A bitter 10-day lockout at a number of West Coast ports in 2002 caused an estimated $15 billion in losses.

That strike ended when then-President George W. Bush ordered the docks reopened. The nation's largest retailers' group has asked President Barack Obama to help end the current strike.

Shipping companies deny any outsourcing and have offered to boost average annual pay from $165,000 to $195,000 and grant 11 weeks of paid vacation, Berry said.

The shippers claim the union wants contract language to permit "featherbedding" -- the practice of requiring employers to call in temporary employees and hire new permanent employees even when there is no work to perform.

[NBGerry]

Bad reporting, as they say the average pay is $85,000 and then they throw the number double that out there?

[rebelrenegade1]

I work at Rizzon Furniture in Huntsville, Alabama and Rizzon's Factory is set up in vietnam where our furniture is made. The Designer of the furniture is american and several Head Honchos at the Factory are American. Having said that, We get our shipments sent to us directly from Vietnam and thanks to that Union and that strike, we aren't gonna get our shipment in time, which means it affects my hours and payroll. I am the Warehouse Manager and I am responsible for picking the furniture orders, Palletizing, wrapping and shipping out said furniture. Well We have been selling our furniture in mass quantities to Design companies and furniture outlets and since we are running low on the brands that sell the best, There will be a huge stack of orders that will not be shipped out on time because our new shipment will not be coming in when we expect it, which in turn also means that I could be off for a few days until this crap blows over. These jacka##@@ are more concerned about their jobs and its causing problems for other companies that are having to rely on shipping companies to get them their stock. So far I have nothing good to say about Unions. Yeah they have had good points maybe 80 years ago, but what good are they for now? The Government controls pay rates and working laws now. Unions are only good for the individuals that are in them. They don't do crap for the average american worker. They need to stop their crying and get back to work, because now they are gonna cut into my wallet!!

[takacrat]

Let them strike, that will stop China from dumping there trash in America.

[taxed01]

$195,000 and 11 weeks of paid vacation - are they nuts????
That overkill gets added to the cost of all products I buy that go through that port. Ship the job overseas where they can pay a fair price for it and it will be appreciated.

[thatchmo62]

Overpaid, spoiled brats. I have no sympathy for their cause. In this economy, there are thousands of citizens that would love to have their job at a third the pay. This is what makes unions look really bad.

[Liebchen2]

I can understand their dissatisfaction with some jobs being outsourced, but maybe if they weren't making $165,000 a year, they wouldn't have to be. I sit at a computer most of my day, and I can tell you I don't make a quarter of that.