West Coast dockworkers, shippers reach tentative contract agreement

The union for thousands of West Coast dockworkers has reached a tentative agreement on a new contract after more than a year of negotiations and several work disruptions that snarled shipping traffic at some of the largest ports

West Coast Ports Labor (Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

The union for thousands of West Coast dockworkers has reached a tentative agreement on a new contract, it was announced Wednesday, after more than a year of negotiations and several work disruptions that snarled shipping traffic at some of the largest ports.

The International Longshore and Warehouse Union reached the tentative deal for a new six-year contract with the Pacific Maritime Association, a trade group for cargo carriers and terminal operators. Its members include such global shipping giants as Maersk and Evergreen Marine.

The agreement will require ratification by PMA and union members and would affect 22,000 dockworkers at 29 ports from Washington state through California.

Details of the deal weren't disclosed.

“We are pleased to have reached an agreement that recognizes the heroic efforts and personal sacrifices of the ILWU workforce in keeping our ports operating,” PMA President James McKenna and ILWU President Willie Adams said in a joint statement. “We are also pleased to turn our full attention back to the operation of the West Coast Ports.”

The dockworkers have been without a contract since July 1.

West Coast ports handle some 40% of U.S. imports and their smooth operation is so important that President Joe Biden even stepped in last year and met with both sides in Los Angeles.

A lockout in 2002 and an eight-day strike in 2015 cost the U.S. economy billions of dollars and forced the administrations of then-presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama to intervene.

The ports weren't completely shut down this time but several short-term worker shortages in recent weeks that disrupted or even closed some terminals in California and Washington.

After the COVID-19 pandemic began to take hold in 2020, cargo traffic to ports slumped drastically. But then it recovered. Soaring demand led to traffic jams at the twin ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, the nation’s busiest port complex.

The union sought higher wages, arguing they deserved a greater share of record profits made by shippers and terminal operators during the pandemic.

“ILWU workers risked and lost their lives during the pandemic to ensure grocery store shelves were stocked, PPE (health safety gear) was made available, essential medical supplies were reaching our hospitals, and record volumes of consumer goods continued to reach the door steps of American consumers,” argued an ILWU statement on June 2.

In his statement, Biden congratulated the port workers, “who have served heroically through the pandemic and the countless challenges it brought, and will finally get the pay, benefits, and quality of life they deserve.”

Acting U.S. Secretary of Labor Julie Su was sent to assist in the negotiations.

Biden said Su “used her deep experience and judgment to keep the parties talking.”

“The tentative agreement delivers important stability for workers, for employers and for our country’s supply chain,” Su said in a statement.

The tentative agreement was praised by Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, who said port work generates 1 in 15 jobs in the city.

“This is a win for the working people of our city,” she said.