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The Global Logistics Institute (a project of the Harry Bridges Institute)
Overview of the Global Logistics Institute
The Harry Bridges Institute established the Global Logistics Institute project to assess the impacts-costs and benefits-of global logistics on workers and communities on the West Coast. Our commitment at the HBI, and by our Global Logistics research colleagues, is to be a research voice for organized labor and working people. (More about the GLI)Upcoming Events
Thursday through Saturday, November 8 -10: HBI Co-Sponsoring UC-Santa Barbara conference on containers
The Traveling Box: Containers as the Global Icon of our EraOn Saturday, Nov. 10 the HBI will provide a port boat tour, with past ILWU President Dave Arian as guide To register for the conference and tour, go to the following link: http://www.ihc.ucsb.edu/containers/boxconference_schedule.html
Saturday, November 17 - 11:00 am - 2:00 pm @ The Harry Bridges Institute
Please RSVP to attend. (Click to send an RSVP to gwolff@harrybridges.org)The ILWU's New March Inland: Report and Roundtable Discussion
- Prof. Edna Bonacich (UC-Riverside, emeritus) "The Dynamics of the Logistics Industry and the Inland Region: Challenges and Opportunities for Organizing"
- Peter Olney (ILWU Director of Organizing), and fellow organizers with the ILWU, "The March Inland Under Way: The Lancaster Rite-Aid Distribution Center Organizing Campaign."
- Workers from the Rite-Aid Distribution Center, "Why We Want to Have a Union at Rite-Aid: The Inside Story."
The October issue of ILWU The Dispatcher has an article, "What Happened to Warehousing?" that you might want to read for our meeting. Download it here.
Friday and Saturday, November 30 and December 1
"Moving Forward" A conference on healthy solutions for communities impacted by trade, ports and goods movement at the Carson Community Center. For more information and registration view the conference pdf.MORE ABOUT THE GLOBAL LOGISTICS INSTITUTE
GOALS:
By engaging in research and thoughtful discussion the Global Logistics Institute is playing a role in informing workers and their unions, communities, and policy-makers about the changing global economic landscape, and proposing actions and policies that put the interests of workers, unions, and communities at the forefront. Specifically, the Global Logistics Institute provides, seminars and roundtables, research, analysis, policy development, and white papers in order to advance the interests of working people and their communities.RESEARCH QUESTIONS:
We are examining the institutions and organizations that control, manage, and shape the direction of logistics systems. How do the forces and interests of the global economy rely on and create a system of goods movement and distribution? How has the rapid expansion of logistics systems changed the geography of work and residence? What are the processes and organizations that can hold economic interests and logistics systems accountable?These are the questions the Global Logistics Institute is addressing by enlisting experts in the field. We are responding to the fact that these critical issues have been for too long in the hands of corporate business interests-the PMA, the shippers, the shipping companies, and government agencies that frequently do the bidding for the corporate interests.
ACTIVITIES:
During the past two years as we have gotten under way, we have held several seminars with presentations by researchers and participation by ILWU leaders (and other unions and activists concerned with issues such as port trucking and the environment). We have also met with researchers and international union representatives at a New York conference on Global Labor Unions and, more recently, in San Francisco.Included at our Global Logistics presentations have been:
- Edna Bonacich - Professor, UC-Riverside - report on her research on the logistic chain and the landside / warehouse industry and the consequences for labor based on her forthcoming book, Getting the Goods: The Logistics Revolution and the Ports of Southern California. Peter V. Hall - Professor, Simon Fraser University (Canada) - report on how to assess productivity at ports; and a report on the greening of ports and urban sustainability.
- Kristen Monaco - Professor, Cal State University-Long Beach - report on the port trucking industry and port truckers; and a report on job impacts in the Long Beach area by the logistics industry.
- Rhonda Evans - UC-Berkeley researcher - Presented a report on SSA Marine and its economic reach
- Wouter Jacobs - School of Management, University Nijmegen (The Netherlands) - report on the structure and functioning of the Port of Rotterdam
- Peter Turnbull - Professor, Cardiff University (United Kingdom) - report on labor struggles in European ports and port deregulation.
- Meredith Schafer - Researcher, Portland State University - research on Port of Portland and container service firms in Oregon
- Paula V. Hamilton - Researcher, Queen Mary College, University of London - report on Hong Kong port and UK ports, and logistics systems
- Kent Wong - Director, UCLA Labor Center - report on Chinese labor unions and ports
- Andrea Hricko - Professor, USC Preventive Medicine - report on health impacts of port-related goods movement
In addition to participants from the ILWU, community organizations such as the Los Angeles Alliance for a New Economy, Coalition for Clean Air, the University of Washington Harry Bridges Center, the Coalition for Clean and Safe Ports, other unions such as the Teamsters and researchers from Change to Win have participated.