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L' J Terminal operators in Los Angeles -Long Beach caused a stir on New Year's Eve when they informed the ILWU locals in Southern California they were reducing the number of vessel work crews at night to one, from the three 45 -member gangs that had been loading and unloading ships. Employers went a step further on Monday when they informed the ILWU locals that beginning today there would be no gangs hired to work vessels at night, although yard and gate operations would not be affected. According to letters from the PMA to the ILWU locals, these actions make good operational sense. PMA stated that since the ILWU in Southern California on Nov. 3 unilaterally decided to reduce from 110 to 35 the number of skilled yard crane operators that would be dispatched each day, the container yards had become so congested there was no space left to accept additional containers at night. Therefore the terminals would stop discharging containers from the ships at night, and would use the night shift to relieve congestion in the yards. PMA spokesman Steve Getzug said Tuesday that reasoning is still valid. "Our sole rationale for the adjustments in night operations at L.A. and Long Beach is to free up crane drivers to clear the yards. It's that simple." However, at least in the thinking of some employers, reducing work opportunities at night at all of the ports also hits the rank -and -file longshoremen in their pocketbooks. Many longshoremen like nightwork, which carries premium pay, and they reportedly care very little about the union negotiators' stance on chassis maintenance and repair, which is one of the issues preventing negotiation of a new contract. ILWU negotiators want the PMA to guarantee the union M&R division, which accounts for about 10 percent of the ILWU membership, the right to inspect every chassis before it leaves the terminal. This is no longer possible because the shipping lines sold their chassis to equipment leasing companies, and those employers are not members of the PMA. ILWU negotiators want jurisdiction over "red -lined" terminals that years ago signed M&R contracts with other unions such as the International Association of Machinists. The PMA can't make any such guarantee because they have no control over those contracts. ILWU negotiators want PMA to grant the ILWU M&R jurisdiction at off -dock locations run by the chassis -leasing companies, but the PMA has no jurisdiction over the off -dock sites. Some rank -and -file longshoremen are reportedly upset over losing work opportunities on the night shifts because union negotiators are holding up contract approval over M&R work that is performed by ILWU mechanics. Employers hope that those general longshoremen pressure the ILWU negotiators to back off on chassis demands that the PMA can not grant even if the employers' group chose to do so. Just as the PMA will not discuss bargaining strategy, the ILWU does not do so either. In recent statements, and in letters to the PMA, the union has attacked he employers' decisions to cut back on night work as being bad for productivity at the ports. In a letter Monday to the PMA, the president of the three ILWU locals in Southern California said the decision to cease all vessel operations at night would not improve productivity. "There is no evidence that there has been any effort to reallocate labor to clearing the yard," said Bobby Olvera, president of ILWU Local 13. "We ask you to reconsider this unilateral action. It is not a sound management decision and will inflict direct damage on the industry and to retailers large and small. In the interim, ILWU Local 13 will continue to fill any orders for night -side vessel gangs it receives," Olvera said. Meanwhile, the war of attrition continues. The PMA, in a release on Monday, said: "The ILWU slowdowns and the resulting operational environment are no longer sustainable. The PMA has alerted the local port authorities to the deteriorating situation on the docks." The PMA said that statement should be taken at face value, meaning the terminals are approaching complete gridlock. Others say is a not -so -subtle warning that if the slowdowns continue, the voices within the PMA calling for a lockout of the ILWU will get louder and will soon outnumber those who oppose a lockout. It is generally agreed that no one wants a lockout. Rank -and -file longshoremen would receive no paychecks because they won't be working. Terminals will forego revenue because they won't be lifting containers on and off of ships, and shipping lines will lose thousands of dollars a day