ICTSI Efforts to Labor Slowdowns
The Preventing Labor Union Slowdowns Act of 2015 (PLUS Act) was introduced last Thursday in the United States Senate to help prevent the type of maritime labor slowdowns at the Port of Portland and 28 other West Coast ports that disrupted domestic and international trade and nearly brought the U.S. economy to a standstill earlier this year. The PLUS Act, which was introduced by Idaho Senator James Risch, was the result of efforts by ICTSI Oregon, Inc., the terminal operating company for the Port of Portland’s Terminal 6, to focus congressional attention on the ongoing problem of maritime labor slowdowns. The measure would amend the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) to make intentional slowdowns by maritime unions an unfair labor practice.
Proactive Accreditation for etpm
Subsea and marine recruitment specialist etpm announced two industry accreditations. The Aberdeen-headquartered company achieved its ISI 9001:2008 and 12001:2008 four months ahead of target. etpm also decided to take a proactive approach to gain Maritime Labor Convention (MLC) 2006 certification. The MLC 2006, which covers maritime labor law, came into force internationally in August 2013 and will come into force in the United Kingdom next year. While certification is not yet mandatory, recruitment companies can request that they be audited to show that their practices are already MLC compliant. etpm volunteered for audit and has been certified a year before implementation.
