Sunday, December 08, 2013            Print   Email 
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Port strike moves into second week as negotiations go on  A
sticking point is staffing levels that management sees as
featherbedding  By John Rogers  Associated Press   LOS ANGELES »
Negotiators returned to the bargaining table Monday as a strike
that has crippled operations at the nation's largest port
complex entered its seventh day.  Los Angeles Mayor Antonio
Villaraigosa demanded that both sides meet nonstop until they
reach an agreement.  "It seems like progress is being made,"
union spokes­man Craig Merrilees said after negotiations
resumed. "It's not quick and it's not easy, but there is some
progress."  Management spokes­man Steve Getzug was less
optimistic, saying union negotiators were resisting proposed
changes in hiring practices that he said would give shippers the
ability to avoid hiring unneeded employees. It's a practice
management dismisses as featherbedding.   Union members co