Controversial Port Performance Measure Moves Through Committee
Published on politicopro.com, by Jennifer Scholtes
The Senate Commerce Committee approved its port performance bill today, to the chagrin of labor groups and some lawmakers who worry the legislation will set the stage for improper federal intervention in collective bargaining.
A contingent of Republican senators, led by Chairman John Thune, introduced the bill following the West Coast labor dispute that closed down ports as it dragged on through the beginning of this year, estimated to have resulted in a multibillion-dollar blow to the U.S. economy.
The bill would require DOT to create a program to measure the performance of the nation’s largest ports and submit an annual report to Congress on capacity and throughput. Before maritime labor agreements expire, the Obama administration would have to report to Congress on average weight time for vessels, the number of canceled vessel calls and an estimate of the economic impact of delays.
Senators like ranking Democrat Bill Nelson and Joe Manchin say they have serious concerns that ports won’t be able to collect some of the performance information, that sharing the proprietary data could put U.S. ports at a competitive disadvantage and that the labor agreement language could serve to stifle workers’ rights.
But the measure’s proponents say it would have no effect on collective bargaining and is essential to keeping port performance in check.
Thune said the bill will “ensure that federal officials are armed with needed information when deciding whether federal intervention is warranted. And shippers will have needed information to determine how best to get their goods to the marketplace.”
— Jennifer Scholtes
To view online:
https://www.politicopro.com/go/?wbid=56327