BALTIMORE – An arbitrator has ordered a longshoremen’s local union to pay $3.8 million in damages for a three-day strike at the Port of Baltimore that he said violated a no-strike provision in their contract.
The president of the Steamship Trade Association of Baltimore, which represents port employers, confirmed Wednesday that the arbitrator issued the ruling last week. But Michael Angelos declined further comment, citing the sensitivity of ongoing negotiations with the union.
It was not immediately clear to whom the money would be paid or whether the union could appeal. Local president Riker “Rocky” McKenzie declined comment Wednesday.
Local 333 of the International Longshoremen’s Union went on strike for three days in October, paralyzing the port, one of the largest on the East Coast. The arbitrator had previously ruled the strike invalid.
