OAKLAND, Calif.—It’s not Halloween just yet, but U.S. West Coast shippers may have another reason to be scared. Now that their focus has temporarily shifted from Transportation Worker Identification Credential (TWIC) and Clean Trucks issues, there’s one more concern for them to confront: new dockside labor talks.

“There are plenty of details that will need to be addressed by the [ocean] carriers,” says Patty Senecal, vice president of the International Warehouse Logistics Association (IWLA). “The questions should just be getting tougher and tougher to answer.”

And that’s just what the president and CEO of the Pacific Maritime Association (PMA) will attempt this evening when he addresses the Women in Logistics (WIL) dinner meeting at the Waterfront Hotel.

The PMA—an association of 74 international cargo carriers, terminal operators and stevedores operating in California, Oregon, and Washington—will soon be conducting new contract negotiations with the International Longshore & Warehouse Union. The goal, say both parties, is to sign a deal before the current six-year contract expires next July.

“Shippers are very curious as to why terminal gate operations are still being stopped three times a day,” says Senecal. “We understand workers need lunch and dinner breaks, but there’s no reason their shifts can’t be staggered. We understand the PMA just will not pay for it.”

McKenna will face other tough questions as well, say WIL spokesmen. Container volume and throughput has continued to grow at West Coast ports, driving up the workforce by nearly 40 percent.

“Further sustained growth is anticipated,” says ILWU president, Robert McEllrath, “as the West Coast will continue to be the primary gateway for U.S. imports.”

The labor agreements the PMA negotiates on behalf of its members cover wages, employee benefits, and conditions of employment for workers employed at longshore, marine clerk, and walking boss/foreman jobs.

“We’re pleased the ILWU has agreed to sit down with us early to pursue contract agreements with out interruption,” says McKenna.