Newark Mayor To Feds: Port's Labor Unions Are 'Segregated'

Newark, NJ – Newark’s mayor is alleging that minority and female workers – in addition to city residents - are being shut out of jobs at Port Newark, one of the busiest in the nation.

Mayor Ras Baraka issued a news release on Monday calling for a federal investigation into the “extent and causes of inequity in hiring for jobs at the Port of Newark and Elizabeth.”

Baraka stated that despite being located in an area with a combined black and Latino population of 77 percent, two of the port’s largest labor unions are less than six percent black and under 13 percent Hispanic, and have no women among their more than 1,000 total members.

The two unions, International Longshoremen's Locals 1 and 1804-1, “remain segregated despite years of attempts by the Waterfront Commission, civil rights organizations, and the City of Newark to desegregate the port,” Baraka asserted.

In the news release, Baraka referenced a 2015 report that stated that of the 3,299 registered longshore workers at the port, only 299 (or 6.3 percent) had Newark addresses.

Of the 3,299 workers, 2,055 are white, 787 black, 410 Hispanic, 17 Asian and 30 were designated as “others.”

Only 302 were women, Baraka stated.

Most of the black workers (523 of 787) come from the predominantly African-American I.L.A. Local 1233, Baraka said.

According to figured provided by Baraka’s office, based on the 2013 New York Shipping Association-ILA contract, the alleged racial disparity extends to salaries as well.

The reported salaries for Port Newark workers include:

• Whites - $153,300
• All Minorities - $131,326 (14% less than whites)
• Blacks - $140,654 (8.2% v than whites)
• Hispanics - $147,287 (4% less than whites)
• Asians - $98,348 (36% less than whites)
• Other - $139,014 (9.3% less than whites)

TEMPORARY WORKER PASSES

In February, the Port Authority of NY/NJ announced that the ports under its dominion – collectively the largest on the East coast – saw a record-setting cargo volume in 2015.

Currently, the port generates 336,600 full-time jobs in the region, an increase of 13 percent over 2012, according to a recent study by the New York Shipping Association.

• See related article: Record Volumes Reported At NY and NJ Ports For 2015

“In July 2015, the Waterfront Commission issued emergency temporary worker passes and extended those passed to January 31, 2016, to meet the high demand,” Baraka stated in a letter to U.S. Department of Labor Secretary Thomas Perez.

“Newark residents who were issued temporary passes have observed that while permanent passes are still being issued, none of the temporary workers are being made permanent,” Baraka wrote. “As of today, not one non-military Newark resident that was issued an emergency temporary worker pass has been hired on a permanent basis.”

“According to a recent conversation with the Waterfront Commission by my office as well as the annual report of the NYSA, the industry will move to a 'gang relief' system and hire 200 additional longshoremen this year,” Baraka stated. “We have candidates who secured TWIC cards and met the Waterfront Commission pre-qualification standards. These local residents should be given priority for employment.”

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