US labour groups reject proposed ports legislation

US labour groups have rejected a state senator’s ports legislation, which would expand the Taft-Hartley Act – a federal law that restricts the activities and power of unions.

It was described by an International Longshore and Warehouse Union spokesman as “outrageous, extremist, anti-worker.”

Senator Cory Gardner’s legislation followed the lengthy labour unrest at US West Coast ports, which was cited in newspaper reports as the cause of congestion that crippled the ports.

Gardner’s Protecting Orderly and Responsible Transit of Shipments (PORTS) Act’ he said, was to “safeguard the American economy from the threat of labour shutdowns and slowdowns at seaports.”