Under pressure from trade industry stakeholders, more than 100 delegates representing members of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) voted on August 11 to discuss a potential contract extension for longshore workers with their employers.

 

The extension was first brought up at a conference in March of this year, when the heads of the ILWU and its employer group, the Pacific Maritime Association (PMA), both expressed a willingness to at least discuss a contract extension for longshore workers at West Coast ports, and to do so well ahead of the current contract’s 2019 expiration date.

 

This public discussion drew encouragement from many parties throughout the trade industry in the months following. It resulted in letters from hundreds of retail and trade stakeholders, as well as legislators, urging the two parties to follow through.

 

Just before the ILWU held its vote, a letter signed by more than 125 associations representing agriculture, retail, logistics and other trade-related industries was sent to the heads of the ILWU and PMA again requesting that the two begin discussing contract negotiations early.

 

The groups encouraged the ILWU and PMA to avoid protracted labor negotiations like those that caused a historic level of congestion at West Coast ports, particularly in San Pedro Bay, in the latter part of 2014 through February of 2015. “We believe starting negotiations early will help avoid a repeat of that experience,” the letter stated. Other factors, such as changes in the shipping industry, were also at play in the congestion crisis.

 

“The caucus made a tough decision under current circumstances amid a wide range of concerns and opposing views on how to respond to PMA’s request,” ILWU International President Robert McEllrath said in a prepared statement. “This is a directive to go and have discussions with the PMA and report back to the membership, and we’ll do just that, with the wellbeing of the rank and file, our communities, and the nation in mind.”

 

The PMA issued a statement in response to the ILWU vote the following day. “Earlier this year, in an effort to provide stability on the West Coast waterfront, PMA proposed talks on a contract extension with the ILWU. The current contract expires in 2019,” the statement read.

“Today, we learned that the ILWU agreed to meet on ‘the concept of a contract extension.’ As a next step, we will schedule a time in the next 30-60 days for PMA and ILWU leadership to discuss the topic.”