Clerks at Los Angeles/Long Beach Ports Agree to New Contract
After more than two years of negotiations, the clerical workers at the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach will not be striking again this year.
The International Longshore and Warehouse Union, Local 63, Office Clerical Unit, and the Los Angeles/Long Beach Harbor Employers Association said the two sides agreed to the terms of a new contract initially hammered out on Dec. 4.
The contract, for roughly 600 full-time clerks and 14 terminal operators and shipping lines, will run through June 30, 2016. The previous contract expired June 30, 2013.
The clerical workers are responsible for processing the paperwork to get cargo containers in and out of the ports.Resolution of the long, drawn-out negotiations was met by praise by both sides. “Now I can take a vacation,” said John Fageaux, president of ILWU Local 63. “I feel we didn’t get everything we wanted, but I think we got what we needed. So I’m satisfied.”
Steve Getzug, a spokesperson for the Los Angeles/Long Beach Harbor Employers Association, said, “It’s a good development for the ports and the local economy.”Importers of apparel and other goods were ecstatic to hear the clerks ratified the contract, avoiding the possibility of a new strike. In late November, the clerks set up picket lines around 10 of the 14 cargo-container terminals, shutting down work at the two ports for eight days. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa called in federal mediators to resolve the situation.The new contract agreement was praised by the National Retail Federation, based in Washington, D.C. “This contract will bring much-needed stability to the supply chain, better position the ports for future growth and provide retailers the certainty they need to prepare for the upcoming summer shopping season,” said Jonathan Gold, the NRF’s vice president for supply chain and customs policy.Now retailers and importers are looking forward to a new master contract being ratified by more than 4,000 port workers at 15 East Coast and Gulf Coast ports. After months of heated talk and contentious negotiations, a tentative agreement was reached in February.Meanwhile, contracts with the individual ports’ terminal operators must be concluded.—Deborah Belgum
