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On Friday, International Longshore and Warehouse Union members ratified a five-year contract governing pay and work rules at 29 West Coast ports. The Pacific Maritime Association, which represents terminal operators, shipping lines and other employers at West Coast ports, announced Wednesday that its members had ratified the contract.
The new contract, which is retroactive to July 2014, was ratified with 82 percent of union members casting votes in its favor.
"The negotiations for this contract were some of the longest and most difficult in our recent history," ILWU International President Robert McEllrath said in a statement issued Friday.
The contract provides for some 20,000 jobs up and down the West Coast, according to the union. Statements from both sides of the negotiations reported the deal will include pay and pension increases for dockworkers. The deal also altered the arbitration system for labor-management disputes.
The two sides first agreed to the deal in late February after tense negotiations resulted in a major backlog of cargo ships outside the harbor.
"In the last 90 days, labor and management throughout the San Pedro Bay supply chain have made excellent progress eliminating the backlog of ships, getting services back on schedule, and
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improving cargo flow in and out of terminals. Our port teams are working with supply chain stakeholders on a series of initiatives that will take cargo efficiency and velocity to the next level here in San Pedro Bay," Port of Los Angeles Director Gene Seroka said in a statement.
"The disruptions that occurred during negotiations, and the inconvenience and hardship created by them, were regrettable," Pacific Maritime Association Chief Executive Jim McKenna said in a statement. "We look forward to building upon the incredible advantages West Coast ports offer and winning back the trust and confidence of the shipping community. This contract provides important tools to accomplish that."
If ratified, the contract will be retroactively effective as of July 1, 2014 and remain in force until the end of June 2019.
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