By & Large

Negotiations between the International Longshoremen's Association, AFL-CIO, the largest union of maritime workers in North America, and the United States Maritime Alliance (USMX), an alliance of container carriers and port operators, are resuming this week with the assistance of a federal mediator after a lengthy stalemate. The two sides are debating the details of a master contract covering 14 ports on the East Coast and Gulf Coast, including the Port of New York and New Jersey.

The contract expires on September 30. In the event an agreement is not reached, the ILA is preparing to strike.

Businesses that rely on imports or exports -- toy and apparel industries, among many others -- are urging a swift conclusion to the negotiations. The executive director of the national Waterfront Coalition, Robin Lanier, had this to say: "Our members, representing many of the nation's largest importers and exporters, rely on continuous and efficient movement of cargo through American ports. Manufacturers depend on East and Gulf Coast ports to deliver raw materials and parts used in the production of final goods. Exporters and farmers depend on these ports to fill orders overseas, and retailers depend on them to make sure that store shelves across the U.S. are stocked. A prolonged labor disruption could result in significant supply chain costs and lengthy cargo delays for the ports' many customers, which would complicate the ability of the economy to rebound our of recovery."



In a statement to the press, USMX Chair/CEO James Capo said port operators are trying to address issues centered around "inefficiencies that have crept into our operations over the years. I'm referring to archaic work rules and manning practices, and the system of guarantees and overtime pay practices that result in millions of dollars being paid for time not worked. These inefficiencies are causing many of our ports to become prohibitively expensive, harming our competitive ability and threatening the long term viability of our operations."

Some of these issues were cited in a special report earlier this year from the Waterfront Commission of New York Harbor.

Solidifying its power base last week, the ILA joined with five other major maritime labor organizations -- American Radio Association, Inlandboatmen's Union, International Longshore and Warehouse Union, Marine Engineers' Beneficial Association and International Organization of Masters, Mates & Pilots -- to establish the Maritime Labor Alliance.

The NYC Economic Development Corporation has just announced a Request for Expressions of Interest for Change the Course, a competition that seeks innovative, cost-saving proposals for completing construction projects along NYC's waterfront.

The two-phase competition is a collaboration with the Hudson River Park Trust. Phase 1 will seek expressions of interest in order to identify factors that drive the increasing costs and duration of marine construction in the City (including obsolete technologies, permitting processes, current regulations, environmental issues, outdated science studies, labor issues and efficiencies). Phase 2 will receive creative solutions that are cost-effective, sustainable and ethically sound. According to the EDC, "in order to ensure that the responses address existing challenges along New York City's waterfront, each should address conditions identified in either the following areas along the City's waterfront:

• Lower Manhattan Waterfront: structures between Fulton Fish Market (at the South Street Seaport) and Pier 35, along the East River in Manhattan; and
• Hudson River Park Pier: The substructure of Pier 40, on the Hudson River, in Manhattan."

The final winning selections will be eligible for awards of $50,000, $25,000, and $15,000. Submissions for the first and second phases will be selected by the EDC with the assistance of an advisory committee of members from the Hudson River Park Trust, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, NY State Department of Environmental Conservation, local academic institutions, and engineering and construction professionals.

 

The deadline for submissions for the first phase RFEI is November 16, 2012. For more information, click here. 

New York's waterways are lately teeming with success stories of environmental restoration and shoreline revival -- but the forsaken Hutchinson River has not been one of them. Until now.

Vying for the title of most neglected waterway in New York City, the Hutchinson River meanders from Scarsdale through the Bronx, past Co-op City, to empty into the East River at Pelham Bay Park. Polluted, bordered by highways and chain link fences, the Hutchinson River lacks a single public access point along its entire five miles. An occasional barge makes it partway up the river to deliver oil, scrap metal or gravel to several companies that still operate ports on the Hutchinson, but accumulating silt is making barge traffic more difficult.

A Long Term Control Plan to improve the water quality of the Hutchinson River is being developed by the NYC Dept. of Environmental Protection and is due for completion in September 2014. Some people, however, don't want to wait two more years for a plan to revive this river.

Four years ago, Eleanor Rae founded the Hutchinson River Restoration Project (HRRP). Originally intrigued by the story of the river's historic namesake -- a Bronx woman named Anne Hutchinson who was killed by Indians in 1643 -- Ms. Rae's interest had expanded to the sorry state of the river itself.

Starting slowly, with a small group of loyal volunteers, the HRRP has conducted exploratory trips of the river by canoe and sponsored clean-ups of shoreline sites (photo at right). In fact, the next clean-up -- of the Thomas Pell Wildlife Sanctuary -- will be held on Sunday, September 23, 9am-3pm. Volunteers are needed and welcome; see the website for details.

As HRRP president, Ms. Rae, with other members of the organization, were active participants in Mayor Bloomberg's Vision 2020 workshops, offering their perspective on the needs of the river.

Last year, the HRRP gained wider attention when it won a $14,000 grant to research a site for a canoe/kayak launch. The grant is funded by the Environmental Protection Agency and administered by the New England Interstate Water Pollution Control Commission in partnership with the New York-New Jersey Harbor Estuary Program. As the HRRP consultant, B. Laing Associates, investigates potential launch sites and environmental and legal concerns, the organization is planning two community meetings about public access to the river -- one for the general public and one for Co-op City residents.
Marianne Anderson, the administrator of Pelham Bay Park for the NYC Parks Dept. is wholeheartedly supportive. "Pelham Bay Park attracts nearly 5.6 million visitors each year -- many of whom are drawn to its landscape, its respite, and the variety of recreational activities and institutions within its borders," she wrote in a letter supporting the HRRP's grant proposal. "The fact that the Hutchinson River remains inaccessible to canoes and kayaks is a significant drawback, and one that we would be eager to resolve."