West Coast Port Employers, Union Reach Tentative Five-Year Agreement

[Omaha Steve]

Source: WSJ

By LAURA STEVENS

West Coast port employers and their union said they reached a tentative five-year agreement on a new contract late Friday. The pact brings an end to a nine-month standoff that resulted in significant slowdowns at the ports.

The International Longshore and Warehouse Union and the Pacific Maritime Association were locked in negotiations all day Friday after the White House sent Secretary of Labor Thomas Perez to urge the two groups to come to an agreement. He threatened to send the parties to Washington, D.C., if the situation wasn’t resolved by the end of the day.

Union employees, as well as members of the Pacific Maritime Association, will need to ratify the contract.

“After more than nine months of negotiations, we are pleased to have reached an agreement that is good for workers and for the industry,” said maritime association President James McKenna and union President Bob McEllrath, in a joint statement. Mr. Perez said the ports would resume full operations Saturday evening.

FULL story at link.



A backlog of ships sits anchored outside the ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles on Wednesday. PHOTO: REUTERS

Read more: http://www.wsj.com/articles/west-coast-port-employers-union-reach-tentative-five-year-agreement-1424485110

[PoliticAverse]

1. Good. n/t

[GP6971]

2. If it's ratified

Last edited Sat Feb 21, 2015, 12:19 PM - Edit history (1)

Just watch the containers flying on and off the ships. 15 years ago when I was working in international shipping, the daily cost of a ship was $50,000 a day, whether steaming or in port. Today, with much larger ships, that cost has to be close to double. Ship operators need to get their vessels back on schedule

Big problem is the independent drayage companies and owner operators that haul the containers to and from the container terminals. I'm pretty sure the contract negotiations didn't even consider them. The number of these drayage guys have been shrinking in number for years and for good reason.....they're constantly getting screwed with long wait times (even in the best of times) and low pay. The independents just can't survive with the prevailing rates.

[Omaha Steve]

8. They are now organized TEAMSTERS

Drayage drivers are working on a contract with the support of ILWU!!! NO MORE of the they are independent contractors working for minimum wage or less.

[GP6971]

9. Really? That's great to hear!

[sueh]

11. Fantastic!

[SoapBox]

3. Finally.

[sueh]

4. Good news!

[C Moon]

5. Going to be a busy weekend out this way. Glad they were able to get this settled.

[iandhr]

6. Think Perez put the screws to both sides?

[PoliticAverse]

10. He threatened to bring both sides to Washington DC for further talks. That was enough apparently.

[mountain grammy]

7. Good news.

[Kingofalldems]

12. And if that Walker was president you know

he would have inserted himself into this dispute.

[wolfie001]

13. Yes!!!