Workers Unite
Longshore workers and shipping lines sat down at the bargaining table in San Francisco on March 17 to start negotiating a new contract that would cover more than 25,000 laborers at 29 West Coast ports in California, Oregon and Washington. The current six-year contract expires July 1. The negotiations started sooner than in years past, when the two sides, the International Longshore and Warehouse Union and the Pacific Maritime Association, often didn’t get together until May. Importers are hoping a new contract will be settled before the expiration date to guarantee that merchandise has no problems clearing the docks right before the crucial holiday shipping season starts in August. During the last contract negotiations, in 2002, there was a 10-day lockout in late September through early October at the West Coast ports, keeping longshore workers from entering the ports. Cargo was backed up for weeks.
