Port of Oakland operations halted by SEIU Local 1021 strike

SEIU Local 1021 pickets at the entrances to the Port of Oakland container terminals, preventing truck drivers and longshoremen from entering the Port.

One by one, in the pre-dawn darkness Tuesday, delivery trucks exited Oakland’s 980 freeway at Adeline and headed toward Middle Harbor Road, prepared to pick up or drop off shipments at the Port of Oakland. Each truck came to a halt as the drivers faced picketers blocking the entrance to the international container terminals at the Port.

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Port of Oakland workers protest planned wage cuts

After months of failed contract negotiations, Port of Oakland workers rallied outside Oakland Airport Friday to protest potential cuts to their own benefits amid allegations that port commissioners have misused public funds. “We have been bargaining with the Port for over 15 months now,” said Alfonso Loera, president of Service Workers International Union Local 1021,…

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Negotiations between port and union stalled, headed for arbitration

The Port of Oakland is facing “significant financial challenges” according to Pamela Calloway, the president of the port board of directors of the fifth busiest container port in the country, and as a result the Port has asked the union for concessions in talks for a new contract. The union representing port workers who do maintenance, janitorial and security work at the port disagrees, and for the last year the two sides have negotiated but been unable to come to an agreement.

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New rules slash emissions at Port of Oakland, but threaten local truckers

For years, West Oakland residents have pushed government officials to do something about air quality in their neighborhood, which is sandwiched between three major highways and the Port of Oakland, and dotted with industrial sites. In particular, locals have pointed to the estimated 2,000 diesel trucks that drive in and out of the port several times each day. Diesel exhaust has been linked to increased cancer rates, premature deaths and respiratory illness, including asthma, among West Oakland residents.

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Evening march disrupts business at Port of Oakland

Thousands of people marched to the Port of Oakland on Monday evening, disrupting business at one of the nation’s busiest ports. The evening march capped off a day of planned actions at the port by Occupy Oakland protesters, who were trying to shut down the port to support port truck drivers in Oakland and across…

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Occupy protesters march on the Port of Oakland as part of West coast blockade

Occupy Oakland protesters claimed a win this morning after their strategic blockade forced some disruptions at the Oakland Port, the nation’s fifth largest container port. Monday’s events began with a crowd of hundreds of protesters making their way from the West Oakland BART station shortly after 5:30 a.m. down 7th Street toward various port entrances, bringing traffic to halt along the way.

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