by Hugh Sawyer, Local Chairman - BLET Division 316 - Atlanta, GA. 

Having returned recently from the Labor Notes convention in Detroit, I came away with confirmation of an idea that I have had for years, which is that the transportation sector of this country is not subject to the "New World Order." We do not have to be subject to the continuous downward spiral in wages and benefits that so many of our brothers & sisters in the manufacturing sector are subjected to.  Whether freight is imported, exported, or internal, American longshoremen, bargemen, train crews, and truck drivers are going to haul it.

The term fragile is always used when referring to transportation in the global supply chain. In the 21^st century, the business model is driven by "just-in-time" delivery. Be it transportation of raw materials for use in the manufacturing business, parts to complete a finished product, or final delivery to the end user of the finished products, whether it is a clothes pin, an automobile, or a Caterpillar earth mover.

Warehousing within the production chain is kept to a minimum. The new warehouse is the intermodal container as it proceeds from one destination to another within the transportation chain. Automation has cut human labor as much as possible. Those left standing in the transportation industry are in the catbird's seat as they are now more critical to the smooth flow of goods across the globe than ever before. Keep in mind that the transportation sector includes all the support groups from clerks to mechanics to waste haulers. We need to recognize that fact and stand up and demand our fair share!

There is a major shortage of truck drivers in this country. The spiraling cost of fuel is driving a lot of independents under. The large trucking companies will weather the fuel price increases and become more dominant in the industry. This should strengthen the unions' position within the industry if we seize the initiative. The degradation of master freight agreements must be halted right now! We have got to get out of the defensive mode and become aggressive. The current upheaval in the trucking industry is ripe for exploitation by organizers.

The rail industry is in the middle of a 5 year cycle in which 50% of the entire workforce is reaching retirement age. Rail carriers are not keeping up with new hires. It seems that the younger generation actually expects to have a life outside the railroad! At the same time, higher fuel rates are causing more products to move to rail. The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) is on the verge of imposing mandatory off days, and customers are demanding scheduled service. This is the perfect storm for major wage and benefit gains!

The river and barge traffic industry is in similar straights and is ripe for unionization efforts. In fact, nascent efforts are already underway to organize river pilots and bargemen.

This is the 21^st century. Union leadership is going to have approach contract negotiations from a much more educated point of view. An understanding of the needs of the global business community and the role of containerized freight in just-in-time delivery schemes will place our union negotiators on much firmer ground.

Solidarity among the rank and filers is also critical to our success. This means much greater education efforts. The solidarity and hard work of the ILWU's 10,000 members in the 2002 lockout by the Pacific Maritime Association resulted in a great contract and really proved the point about how important all of us are within the transportation industry. The ultimate goal must be unification of the entire transportation sector under one umbrella. And this effort must extend throughout the Americas.

Even though we are in an economic downturn, this is actually a time for great optimism for workers in the transportation sector. It is not that we are lucky to have a job, rather our employers are lucky to have us and our ability to meet the demands in this sector. Let's take our rightful place as the backbone of organized labor in the 21^st century. Let us be the shining example of what is possible for union members across the world.

Editor's Note:  This is a reprint from http://www.tdu.org/node/1938