Dockworkers across the U.S. West Coast are set to vote on a new contract, after a tentative deal was reached late Wednesday between employers and the union representing more than 22,000 employees.
“On behalf of the retail industry, we are relieved to see the parties have come to a tentative mutual agreement on a long-term contract for labor operations at the West Coast ports, ending over a year of negotiations and uncertainty,” National Retail Federation President and CEO Matthew Shay said in a statement Thursday.
The specifics of the agreement, which must now be ratified by both the Pacific Maritime Association and International Longshore and Warehouse Union, are not being disclosed. The contract is for a six-year term and involved more than a year of negotiations and intervention from the Biden administration, with the help of Acting U.S. Secretary of Labor Julie Su.
“We are pleased to have reached an agreement that recognizes the heroic efforts and personal sacrifices of the ILWU workforce in keeping our ports operating,” PMA President James McKenna and ILWU President Willie Adams said in a joint statement released late Wednesday. “We are pleased to turn our full attention back to the operation of the West Coast ports.”
Workers across the 29 U.S. West Coast ports had been without a contract for nearly a year after the last one expired July 1.
Negotiations on a new contract began in May 2022, with the two sides saying last year they had reached agreement on “certain key issues” that included health benefits.
Tension broke out more recently as the PMA accused the ILWU of staging coordinated actions to withhold the dispatch of workers, causing disruptions to operations at the ports of Los Angeles, Long Beach, Oakland, Seattle, and Tacoma.
The union said in response the ports continued to operate amid the negotiations.
“The West Coast ports are a critical artery for retailers and other businesses into the U.S. market,” Shay said. “We urge the parties to quickly ratify the tentative agreement to bring certainty back to the West Coast ports. It is essential to begin the negotiation process early for the next labor contract and avoid a future lapse in continuity.”
Kari Hamanaka can be reached at [email protected].
