The South Carolina Ports Authority (SC Ports) and the International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) have agreed a deal to reopen a long-shuttered Port of Charleston shipping terminal, months after the union scored a major court victory in lengthy labor dispute which had shut the terminal down for years.
The dispute dates back to the opening of the port’s Hugh K. Leatherman Terminal in 2021, when SC Ports employed non-union state workers as crane operators, a strategy they already use at two existing terminals. Shortly after U.S. Maritime Alliance (USMA) ships first docked at the terminal, the ILA sued the organization for violating the terms of its master contract, which requires USMA ships to only dock at newly-constructed terminals staffed by union dockworkers during the unloading process. The USMA quickly stopping calling the terminal altogether, leaving the terminal idle ever since.
A lower court eventually sided with the ILA in the dispute, leading to a Supreme Court challenge from SC Ports. That challenge was denied in February, bringing an end to the saga on June 26, when SC Ports announced the deal with the local ILA chapter to fully reopen the terminal. Moving forward, state workers employed at the port will be given the choice between remaining non-union in their roles at other terminals, or becoming a part of the ILA union to be able to staff the newer Leatherman Terminal when it reopens.
“We have mutually developed and agreed to the framework for an operating agreement that will create long-term stability and competitiveness for the Port of Charleston while providing an enhanced product,” the ILA and SC Ports said in a joint release. “More importantly, SC Ports and ILA worked together to protect jobs to create a seamless transition toward a future that recognizes a trained and experienced workforce across all SC Ports’ terminals.”
