Some of us (Lowly little me and a few high power businessmen i have become friends with) have been following this. The demands are for $5 per hour pay increase per year for six years, no automated gates, no automated crane functions, and no automated transports in the yards. I watched and listened to these highly successful men reason it out. These men grew business from nothing to annual sales ranging from $750 million to $1.25 billion. They did this while keeping the unions out. Their labor strategy was to pay above union scale, have superior benefits to union, and offer overtime (big pay bonus for people who have a work ethic).
These men came up with a plan:
1. Offer a three-year contract with $10 per hour increase.
2. No automation additions to operations.
Now the kicker:
1. Automated gates, container tracking and vehicle tracking is available. Day one of year four all tracking, inventory, and access is automated.
2. Day one through month 6 of year four, all cranes are fitted with automated control and readers for RFID and/or bar codes.
3. Day one through month 3 of year four, all yard tractors are replaced with automated that will pickup empty chassis, move to be loaded with container, and move the chassis to the pickup lot.
4. Longshoremen will be offered the opportunity to modernize and grow with the companies, or they will be offered a small severance package to assit in vocational retraining or to aid in moving out of town.