Both sides in the strike that has crippled the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach have agreed to federal mediation, L.A. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa said Tuesday at a news conference.
Villaraigosa said the agreement was an encouraging sign and could help bring an end to the strike, now in its eighth day. He said the parties negotiated throughout the night and there had been some recent movement.
“I’m hopeful that the mediator will be here today,” Villaraigosa told reporters. “We’ve got to get a deal and get a deal as soon as possible.”
Approximately 20,000 workers in the region have been affected by the strike, which is now on its seventh day, and the work stoppage has shuttered 10 of the 14 available cargo container terminals at ports in Los Angeles and Long Beach. Union members claim that the 14 employers being picketed have been slowly but steadily outsourcing jobs to states and countries with lower-paid, non-union workers. The terminal owners deny the claims, saying they’ve guaranteed the union members full job security in addition to wage and pension boosts. source
See this thing up here? That’s right. Water nozzle. Too bad police in Long Beach, Calif. didn’t notice that the drunk guy holding it wasn’t actually holding a gun. Unfortunately, he pointed it at the officers, who then shot him. Now, Douglas Zerby, who was waiting for his friend to pick him up on a street corner, is dead. His older sister, Eden Marie Biele, while being justifiably outraged, offered this thought of the day: ”We’re outraged. You can’t get drunk in the city of Long Beach and not get shot? You’re trying to do the responsible thing and not drive and you get shot? Is that standard protocol? They didn’t wait for backup, they just shot him.” source
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