HI SCR20

Requests the President of the United States invoke the Taft-Hartley Act to appoint a board of inquiry, obtain a report, and impose an injunction requiring the Pacific Maritime Association (PMA) and International Longshore Warehouse Union (ILWU) to return to work for a cooling-off period in their ongoing labor dispute.

Describes the impacts of the port slowdown and threatened lockout: Port of Los Angeles operating at 95-97% capacity (vs. optimal 80%), 29 West Coast ports affected handling 50% of U.S. containerized freight, potential economic cost of $1-2 billion per day, and support for over 9 million jobs.

Documents the dispute timeline: negotiations began May 2014, Coast Contract expired July 1 2014, ILWU began withholding skilled labor October 30 2014, PMA cancelled day work on January 19 2015, and terminals approaching gridlock by February 4 2015.

Highlights specific impacts on Hawaii and other Pacific territories: sparse store shelves, spoiled produce being discarded, American Samoa without West Coast ships for over one month, and threatened disruptions to food supplies and tourism.

Directs Hawaii's congressional delegation and Governor David Ige to urge the President to act, and requires certified copies be sent to federal and state leaders in affected regions.