Get unions on side early
At Portland, Oregon on the West Coast, new Terminal 6 operator, ICTSI of the Philippines, specifically set out to get the ILWU on its side and discussed the operation with local union leaders.
"Although there is no detailed agreement, we have pledged to work together and get the best results possible," says Elvis Ganda, chief executive of the Oregon subsidiary.
Jeff Smith, president of the Portland Local, concurs. "We both know it's in our interests to work together. As long as they realise that we have to 'work safe' – that nobody's safety is jeopardised – we are going to do our part to make it happen. But we must wait and see and they must also do their part."
The main measuring stick in the US is teu moves per hour, with the union and ICTSI broadly agreeing on 30 per crane.
ICTSI took out a 25-year lease in February, paying $8m up front and $4.5m annually. Volumes rose from 7,000 teu in the last two weeks of February to 17,000 teu in March and 20,000 in April.
Says Mr Ganda: "We have ranged from 24 to more than 30 lifts an hour and are pleased with how it's going – but it's early days still."
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