OlympicsMay Day Protests At Port Of Oakland, West Coast
- Original CBS 5 article: May Day Protests At Port Of Oakland, West Coast
Protesters are walking picket lines Thursday morning at the Port of Oakland in an effort to convince truckers to take part in an attempted May Day shutdown of West Coast ports.
Small groups of protesters stopped trucks as they approached Port of Oakland facilities, trying to get truck drivers to participate in a work stoppage protesting U.S. military conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The truckers were not being blocked from the facilities, and were being allowed to proceed if they wish.
Thursday's picketing after an arbitrator told the union that represents dockworkers at West Coast ports that workers must show up for their jobs Thursday.
Meanwhile, terminal operators say West Coast cargo traffic has come to a halt as port workers stage daylong anti-war protests.
Pacific Maritime Association spokesman Steve Getzug says thousands of dockworkers did not show up to work Thursday morning, leaving ships and thousands of truck drivers idle at ports from Long Beach to Seattle.
Workers are expected to return to work for the start of the Thursday evening shift.
The West Coast ports are the nation's principal gateway for cargo container traffic from the Far East.
J. Craig Shearman, a spokesman for the National Retail Federation, says shippers and exporters planned for the slowdown that coincides with May Day and expected no significant, long-term disruptions.
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