Cargo Business Newswire

Wednesday, September 24, 2014

Top Story

Former Maersk executive believes West Coast strike unlikely

While West Coast labor talks between the International Longshore and Warehouse Union and the Pacific Maritime Association have been under way since May, signs now point toward a deal, according to Anthony Scioscia, former senior vice president of labor relations of A.P. Moeller-Maersk’s Maersk Agency U.S.A., who is currently a consultant to the industry.

Speaking at the Intermodal Association of North America’s 2014 expo in Long Beach, Calif., Scioscia said negotiations for a new labor contract for 20,000 dockworkers at West Coast ports would probably conclude without a labor disruption.

Seeking to replace the six-year contract that expired in July, the ILWU and the PMA are discussing how to retrain and preserve dockworker jobs with the rise of automation, as well as salaries and work rules.

Retailers and other stakeholders have been worried about a labor strike in the midst of negotiations that might disrupt the flow of goods at West Coast ports.

"The environment has been civil and constructive with operations being normal," Scioscia said at the industry conference on Monday. "It’s been relatively uneventful."

David Adam, chief executive officer of U.S. Maritime Alliance, which represents container-carrier companies, agreed that a strike or work stoppage is unlikely.

Labor and management met Monday in San Francisco, according to union spokesman Craig Merrilees, who declined to comment on negotiations or prospects for a settlement.

The two parties announced in August that they have resolved the thorny issue of health-care expense, without revealing details.

For more of the Bloomberg story: www.bloomberg.com

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