MIDTOWN — Longshoremen walked off the job Friday, halting operations at area ports in New York and New Jersey, according to officials.
Thousands of workers reportedly took the action because of a dispute over hiring practices, shutting down some of the busiest ports on the east coast, The New York Times reported.
"As the agency that oversees the largest port complex on the East Coast, we strongly urge the [International Longshoremen's Association] members to return to work immediately and resolve their differences after they return,” the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey said in a statement.
“In the meantime, Port Authority Police are actively working to ensure public safety for all of the stakeholders at the port."
The action reportedly stems from a hiring practices instituted by the Waterfront Commission.
The commission was created in 1953 to fight corruption at New York and New Jersey ports, according to the agency's website.
“The ILA and the New York Shipping Association — our employers, it’s not just the workers, but also the owners of the companies that generate the jobs and generates money for the economy — both sides have been fighting the Waterfront Commission, especially in the last five years, over the right to bring new workers on, the right to operate their ports the way they think they should be operated,” Jim McNamara of the ILA told 1010 WINS on Friday.
“They’ve had enough, they told me they’re taking this action to demonstrate their displeasure.”
The walk-off stopped shipments from being delivered Friday, according to the Port Authority.
Due to the current work stoppage in the port, no new trucks will be allowed to queue on port roadways. Do not send trucks the Port at this time
— The Port of NY & NJ (@PortNYNJ) January 29, 2016Both union and waterfront commission officials could not immediately be reached for comment.
It was also not immediately clear when the action would end.
