West Coast Dockworkers, Firms Vow to Avoid Upheaval Amid Contract Talks
- Two parties to begin new contract negotiation on May 12
- Last negotiation resulted in months of disruptions in 2014
Gantry cranes at a shipping terminal in the Port of Los Angeles.
Photographer: Patrick T. Fallon/BloombergThis article is for subscribers only.
Labor negotiations at 29 West Coast ports are set to start next week with both sides saying they want to avoid further upheaval in supply chains that haven’t fully recovered.
Talks to hammer out a new labor contract for 22,000 West Coast dockworkers are scheduled to start May 12, ahead of the current contract’s expiration on July 1. Jim McKenna, president of the Pacific Maritime Association, which serves as a broker for about 70 carriers and terminal operators, said he’s entering negotiations with the International Longshore and Warehouse Union in the “spirit of cooperation.”