Strike Possibility Looms at Los Angeles-Area Ports
Federal mediators who averted a port strike on the East Coast recently may be back in LosAngeles resolving another possible port strike by union workers in Southern California.Some 800 clerical union workers at the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach rejected a tentative deal for a new six-year contract that had been agreed upon on Dec. 4 after mediators from the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service stepped in.
The clerks’ vote to reject the new contract was on Feb. 6. Shipping lines and terminal operators that employ the clerks were informed of the vote on Feb. 7.
So far, there has been no word of a strike. “The ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach continue to operate normally,” the Harbor Employers Association said in a statement. The association represents shipping agencies and terminal operators in Southern California who employ the clerks.
Calls to the International Longshore and Warehouse Union Local 63 Clerical Union were not returned on Feb. 8.
It is unclear what will happen next. Negotiations could resume or clerks could opt to strike like they did last November. That strike lasted 10 days with clerks at 10 of the 14 cargo-container terminals setting up picket lines, keeping all union workers away from their jobs.On Dec. 4, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa called in federal mediators, who quickly got both sides to agree to a tentative contract.
Jonathan Gold, vice president for supply chain and customs policy at the National Retail Federation, said his group was extremely disappointed with the vote. “We strongly urge the parties to work through their differences without any kind of disruption,” he said.—Deborah Belgum
