The dreaded shape-up has come back in a new form in the Port of NY-NJ. Union members in most ports the world over ended the practice that forced waterfront workers to fight each other for work. But now a series of changes in NY-NJ have brought back the insecurity and corruption of days past.

Other ports be alert, employers would like to implement this list of changes all over the country!

Eliminate the Hiring hall - Telephone hiring - Back in 1991, management and ILA officials eliminated the union hiring hall. Instead they put in a telephone hiring system. Members call to get an order from the employer over the phone and must show for that order or face punishment. Union members no longer see each other and they have lost the choice over where and when they work. Furthermore, members don’t see the work orders, making it difficult to enforce seniority.

Eliminate Port-wide seniority – Private company lists – The union has allowed the employers to sponsor workers and sign the majority of workers in the port to individual company seniority lists (“permanent lists”), all but eliminating port wide seniority. In practice this also prevents workers’ ability to take a job at any terminal other than to the one they have signed.

Flooding the port with more workers than work – The union has colluded with management to allow the employers to hire more workers than they need. Now virtually every terminal in the port has a private surplus of workers.

No knowledge of ships or gangs – In NY-NJ workers do not have prior knowledge of ship schedules and gang orders. In most other ports the number of ships and work gangs needed is readily available to the union membership on an answering machine, the web or down at the union hall. Workers can judge, based on their seniority, whether or not it pays to go to the hiring hall and dispatch for work.

Unpaid availability for work – In NY-NJ workers must call in and wait by the phone unpaid a minimum of 15 days a month. Union members never know if or when they will receive orders for work.

The debit system - The union and employers implemented a “debit” attendance punishment system related to work orders. Enough debits and the employers will suspend and even terminate you. Years ago the union used “work debits” to track the Guaranteed Annual Income (GAI). The GAI was a guaranteed wage for longshore workers displaced by containerization. Now there is no GAI just the work related punishment system. If you don’t show to a work order you get a debit. If you leave work, you get a debit. If you don’t call for your work orders you get a debit. Members must be available for work, un-paid, weekday mornings or face a debit.

Five Locals – One Port – The union in NY-NJ has five longshore locals covering the port, each local fighting the other for work.

Don’t let the employers undermine your hiring hall. Don’t let them bring back the insecurity, favoritism and job selling that long plagued the waterfront the world over