Economics

West Coast Dockworkers Reject Contract Extension, Seek Talks

  • Employers, through PMA, proposes contracts extend to July 2023
  • Union says no, adds it’s been waiting seven years to negotiate
Photographer: Bing Guan/Bloomberg
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The union representing about 15,000 dockworkers at the U.S.’s largest ports declined an offer by employers to extend existing labor contracts for a year, setting the stage for heated negotiations.

The Pacific Maritime Association -- which represents 70 ocean carriers and terminals operating at 29 West Coast ports -- proposed extending its current agreement with the International Longshore and Warehouse Union for another year through July 1, 2023, it said in a Nov. 16 letter to the ILWU seen by Bloomberg News.