AFGE LEADERSHIP CITES STAFF SHORTAGES, UNDER-FUNDING AT NATION’S PORTS

AFGE National President John Gage recently returned from San Diego, where he toured a number of U.S. ports including San Ysidro, the country’s largest port. With Gage were AFGE National Vice President Eugene Hudson; Local 2805 President Ed Bell, Vice President Henry Rodriguez, and Treasurer Joe Giron; and representatives from the AFL-CIO.

Among their findings were the disturbing facts that the nation’s ports are short-staffed and under-funded, which in turn results in workplace stress, discomfort and animosity. The union reps did however find that the Customs and Border Protection officers showed significant interest in departmental unity. As the nation’s homeland security union, AFGE strongly advocates all of the homeland security employees belonging to the same union.

President Gage and other AFGE DHS leaders recently have been engaged in a nationwide campaign to promote AFGE’s position on the U.S. ports issue, specifically its concerns with understaffing, denial of overtime, and ships left un-inspected and unattended.
The American media turned to AFGE as an authority on the ports issue. Some of the media coverage included:

• A Port Security Reality Check , MSNBC, Feb. 22, 2006 http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/11509217/

• Security Programs, Unions Would Stay at Ports, Washington Post, Feb. 22, 2006 http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/02/21/AR2006022101924.html

• Questions, answers on deal to let Arab company run terminals, USA Today, Feb. 19, 2006 http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2006-02-21-port-questions_x.htm

• “Ron Insana Show”, nationally-syndicated via Westwood One Radio, Feb. 25, 2006 http://www.afge.org/index.cfm?page=HomelandSecurity&Fuse=Content&ContentID=335

• An Ominous Disconnect Between Port Workers And Their Bosses, Knight Ridder via Fort Wayne Sentinel, March 2, 2006 http://www.fortwayne.com/mld/newssentinel/news/editorial/13998525.htm  (Article was picked up in media throughout the country including the Miami Herald, Philadelphia Inquirer, St. Paul Pioneer Press, and Kansas City Star)

• “Lou Dobbs tonight”, CNN, March 9, 2006 http://www.cnn.com

For more information on AFGE’s campaign to ensure DHS workers’ rights, call 1-800-701-9792.