Union again rejects port stevedore’s offer

8/30/2013

A union local that has worked at the Port of Toledo since Dec. 31 without a contract has, for a second time, turned down what a port stevedore has declared to be its final offer.

About 25 members of International Longshoremen’s Association Local 1982 voted unanimously Thursday against the offer from Midwest Terminals of Toledo International, said Prentiss Hubbard, the local’s vice president. The offer did not differ from one the 45-member local rejected July 2, he said.

Local 1982 is one of three primary unions at the Port of Toledo with which Midwest has contracts. Local 1982 leaders have accused the company of bargaining in bad faith and offering terms to its mostly minority membership that are inferior to those offered to the other locals, whose members are predominantly white.

Mr. Hubbard said the union plans “to go back to the table,” accompanied by representatives of the international union, with a new proposal in hopes of negotiating a settlement. A company representative could not be reached for comment.