PORTS Act

Protecting Orderly and Responsible Transit of Shipments Act of 2015 or the PORTS Act

This bill amends the Labor Management Relations Act, 1947 to extend to labor slowdowns occurring at U.S. ports the President's authority to appoint a board of inquiry into the issues involved.

State and territorial governors shall have authority to request the President to appoint a board of inquiry if a slowdown, or a threatened or an actual strike or lock-out, occurring at one or more U.S. ports will, if continued, imperil national or state health or safety.

If the President does not appoint a board of inquiry within 10 days after receiving a request, the governor who made the request may appoint one to report on the dispute to the governor and the President, although without recommendations. Supplemental reports are also authorized. Boards of inquiry are limited to one that may appointed for each dispute during a 90-day period.

Governors may also petition for injunctions against such labor or management actions affecting ports in their states or territories.

The National Labor Relations Board, for each dispute, shall take not more than one secret ballot for the same employees in any 30-day period.

The Government Accountability Office shall study the West Coast ports slowdown to:

• study the economic impact of the slowdowns and congestion caused by the negotiations on the nation as a whole as well as each port,
• review steps taken by the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service (FMCS) to resolve the dispute,
• identify steps FMCS and the Administration could have taken sooner to facilitate an agreement, and
• determine what legislative changes could strengthen these tools and result in more timely intervention.