OOIDA members Jim and Athena Shannon have been stuck at the Port of Oakland since Saturday night with a load of meat bound for the Orient. The Shannons, independent truckers from Nevada, say each day costs them at least $600.

The Shannons, who deliver meat to the port every week, were due to unload Monday morning, but the port was closed Sunday by the Pacific Maritime Association as a result of a standoff with the International Longshore and Warehouse Union. Jim Shannon says he hasn't been given a "backup plan" from their carrier, Conte Intermodal out of Winter Garden, FL.

"The carriers don't know much more than the drivers," says Michael Wright, with Conte Intermodal's safety department. His company has 12 owner-operators sitting at the port."We don't really know. We asked the people we get our meat from," he said. "They told us sometimes it sits on the containers for 10 days and on the ship 10 days, so they're not worried about it yet. All we can do is sit around. It's the shipper's call. They can't let it sit forever." Wright reported shippers will not be sending a shipment out next week.

Meanwhile, the Port of Oakland has provided a parking lot for the truckers held up by the labor dispute. Jim Shannon says they are existing on a day-to-day basis. "They brought in new port-a-potties," he said. "A lunch wagon comes around three times a day, and lots of truckers have their own grills and we get together for grocery runs. They send around a fuel truck to keep the reefers running 24 hours a day. We're taking care of ourselves, but the revenue loss is the main issue."

In the parking lot where the Shannons' truck is parked, there are at least 50 trucks, including the 12 from Conte and many from Nebraska-based R.E. Monson. Shannon says Oakland news sources estimate about 2,600 trucks are currently jammed up at the 29 ports along the West Coast.

Additionally, published reports say more than 12,000 rigs operated by short-haul drivers in Southern California have been parked at cargo transfer stations throughout the region. Afraid of a run-in with picketing longshoremen, drivers are avoiding the docks.

The ILWU has been without a contract since July 1. Contract talks are stuck on the issue of computerized cargo-handling machinery. The PMA says they need this technology, but ILWU officials fear the new technology will cost union workers their jobs.

Hopes are high today with two bits of news. One, the ILWU has agreed to federal mediation to resolve the labor dispute. Two, the PMA allowed the ILWU to launch a ship carrying military cargo out of the Sealand Terminal in Oakland.
-- by Rene Tankersley