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The S.C. Ports Authority has shifted two containerships intended to call on the Hugh K. Leatherman Terminal back to Wando Welch Terminal as shipping companies look to stay out of the fray cause by a union lawsuit, the Port of Charleston said yesterday in a statement.
In a months-long battle to ascertain HLT jobs that they believe should be assigned to union workers, the International Longshoremen’s Association has taken to using an “intimidation tactic” to get liners to boycott the port, the SCPA said.
Following the Leatherman Terminal opening, the ILA is suing Hapag-Loyd and the U.S. Maritime Alliance for $200 million in damages, arguing that by docking at the terminal and using non-bargaining employees, both violated terms of their Master Contract and subsequently cost ILA members future jobs and wages.
ILA lawsuit throttles South Carolina container terminal traffic
Hapag-Lloyd and OOCL sued over use of nonunion workers at new Hugh K. Leatherman Terminal
1 6 minutes read The Yorktown Express was the first ship serviced at the Leatherman Terminal. The ILA then sued Hapag-Lloyd for the use of nonunion labor. (Photo: English Purcell/SCPA)
It is unclear whether ocean carriers will avoid a newly opened container terminal in South Carolina until a labor dispute is cleared up. But at least for now, it appears most shipping lines are steering clear of the Port of Charleston’s Hugh K. Leatherman Terminal to avoid being caught up in a lawsuit filed by the International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA).
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On the heels of opening of a new terminal in Charleston, the S.C. Ports Authority today announced plans to expand Inland Port Greer a pair of developments drawing praise from some players in the manufacturing and logistics sectors.
The installation of Charleston’s Hugh K. Leatherman Terminal has already spurred one Upstate-based logistics company, Greer-based TA Logistics, to consider doubling or tripling his personnel over the next 12 months.
Swafford Transport and Warehousing, a logistics company with several foreign-trade zone warehouses within a few miles of the inland port, also has seen a sign of greater things to come.
ILA sues for $200M over nonunion labor in South Carolina
Hapag-Lloyd and United States Maritime Alliance defendants in lawsuit filed after first ship worked at Port of Charleston’s Leatherman Terminal
0 92 5 minutes read The Yorktown Express was the first ship worked at the Leatherman Terminal. Now Hapag-Lloyd has been named in a lawsuit. (Photo: English Purcell/SCPA)
On April 9, a Hapag-Lloyd container ship became the first cargo vessel to berth at the new Hugh K. Leatherman Terminal in North Charleston, South Carolina. It was cause for celebration for the South Carolina Ports Authority.
Then it got Hapag-Lloyd named in a lawsuit.
The current contract extends from Oct. 1, 2018, through Sept. 30, 2024.
The ILA is now seeking $200 million for “massive damages” for the container carrier using non-bargaining employees to perform crane work, operate forklifts and move the containers onto chassis, the lawsuit said.
The sum was calculated from future estimates of lost work throughout the coast, according to the ILA source. That includes lost work opportunities, wages and benefits for members, as well as depriving the ILA of dues income
The ILA claims Hapag-Lloyd and USMX are liable for interfering with a contractual relationship, breach of contract and civil conspiracy for knowingly using the HLT and employees not covered under the USMX Master Contract.