From the International Longshoremen's Association's Facebook Page
"ILA 1804-1 MEMBERS COLLABORATE WITH MANAGEMENT TO BUILD A STATE-OF-THE-ART STRADDLE AND TERMINAL MAINTENANCE SHOP AT PORT NEWARK CONTAINER
A New Era for Maintenance at PNCT: "The Straddle and Terminal Maintenance Shops Designed with Insight from Those Who Know Them Best.”
A MESSAGE FROM ILA LOCAL 1804-1 PRESIDENT DENNIS A. DAGGETT:
At Port Newark Container Terminal (PNCT), the mechanics who keep the operation running finally have the state-of-the-art shop they deserve. This milestone was not just a product of corporate investment—it was the result of a true partnership between management and labor, a collaboration that ensured the people who know the job best had a voice in shaping their workplace.
The driving force behind this project was a fundamental shift in approach, championed by PNCT President Jim Pelliccio. When plans for the new Straddle Shop were in their early stages, I had a conversation with Jim, emphasizing the lessons of the past. Over twenty years ago, PNCT’s predecessors designed the original shop without any input from the mechanics—the very people who work in those shops every day, through all weather conditions, ensuring PNCT’s equipment remains operational. Engineers, unfamiliar with the non-stop, 24/7 demands of the Port of New Jersey, built a facility suited for a traditional three-shift, eight-hour day model. That design simply did not fit the reality of this port’s continuous operations, and the limitations were clear from day one.
The issues were many: break rooms and locker rooms were too small, space was inadequate for servicing PNCT’s growing fleet of straddle carriers and other terminal vehicles, and the overall layout failed to meet the demands of an operation that never sleeps. The mechanics of ILA Local 1804-1 bore the brunt of those shortcomings for decades.
This time, it was different. Jim Pelliccio and his team did what great leaders do—they listened. They spent hours working with our Master Foremen, General Foremen, Foremen, and Mechanics, taking their input seriously and designing a facility that truly meets the needs of those who work there."
Submitted by:
Dennis A. Daggett
President, ILA Local 1804-1
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