For the Beauty of Logistics- Automation on Trial
What began as research into automation at the Port of New York/New Jersey (see “Inside and Outside the Docks: Exploring the Costs, Benefits, and Impacts of Port Automation in the United States—a port of New York/New Jersey case study” at https://rdcu.be/eMsXN) has found an unexpected epilogue in Virginia.
Dr. Paul Kent’s “For the Beauty of Logistics” article, “Automation on Trial at the Port of Virginia”, examines the emerging case between the International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) and the Virginia Port Authority (VPA)—a dispute that tests how far collective bargaining rights extend when public law, private contracts, and automation converge.
At issue is Article 11 of the ILA–USMX Master Contract, which requires that any new technology undergo a “specific and thorough review process” with the union before implementation. Less than a year after that contract was signed, the VPA’s installation of semi-automated cranes at Norfolk International Terminals has put those words to their first real test.
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