So I don't want to waste a huge amount of time on this, but since it is obvious that the 1-4 people who consistently rail on the Time do clearly come here I want to make a statement briefly about the facts of this litigation. I'd also like to let them know that I fully and totally understand the process of continually dropping your expectations to the point where last ditch litigation is what you have your hopes pinned to. This is my commentary from a couple of years ago. Did I talk a good game? Sure. Did I know what we were up against and how slim the chances of a last ditch legal option really are? absolutely. These guys are in the same place. They know the deal.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LhT8ODIoVoo
So here is the real deal about ILWU and this litigation:
The Mariners did not want to see competition come to town and the Port of Seattle viewed this as a great opportunity to pull attention onto their existing issues and use that leverage to fund their infrastructure upgrades. Those two formed an alliance, led by the principle big guys Tay Yoshitani and Howard Lincoln and all their bigtime influential friends like PVR, Frank Blethen and Pacific Public Affairs.
Those longshoremen got all riled up and put in the forefront because there needed to be a human element to the PR game. That is it, pure and simple. They were thrown out there as pawns of Lincoln and Yoshitani and they played their role.
Now both the port and to some degree the Mariners have backed down and realized that they can't win. This has left the union leaders trying to save face. They don't want to be embarrassed or look stupid so they are staying in the game but they are doing so after the big guys with the deep checkbooks have already turned their backs on them. Now they are trying to accuse the entire government of doing something illegal (never underestimate how quickly relationships change when you sue somebody). The Port is not going to be involved with suing the entire city and county council. They are going to turn their attention towards finding ways to build upon the $40M and turn it into $160M with matching funds by the state and feds.
So the longshoremen leadership, because they are unwilling to let go are left alone with a slim hope. Even if they win they will find themselves enemies with both city and county councils, the mayor, the county executive and the Port of Seattle who will lose this opportunity for partnership. It is a terrible deal for them.
They don't have the rank and file support on this one. Their membership does not support them spending their money on these legal fees or being the only group solely responsible for the loss of an opportunity to bring the NBA back. As they start subjecting themselves to public scrutiny, subpoena's of information and what I promise will be a massive onslaught of revealed information, emails and public discussion of their hiring and operational practices they will crumble. They simply do not really have enough on the line or enough allies left to withstand what this will become.
So I wish they would just drop it. I'm going to start reaching out to longshoremen friends and members, asking them why every other party is meeting with state and federal people about transit money while the ILWU is being pissym suing, and getting dragged through the papers.
Thats the deal.