Ocean cargo: Dockside labor agreement moves closer

Jeff Berman, Group News Editor -- Logistics Management, 8/20/2008

SAN FRANCISCO—While hardly a done deal, the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) is moving ponderously toward a decision for final approval of the new six-year contract with its employers.

 “This is a slow, democratic process that takes time to complete,” said ILWU spokesman Craig Merrilees. “Every detail is covered by our caucus delegates before it is brought before the full voting membership.”

 The union’s special caucus—comprising about 100 delegates—will meet throughout the week in San Francisco to go over the contract “line by line, word by word,” says Merrilees.

 Once approved, the contract is sent to all of the 29 locals up and down the West Coast for further examination and discussion. Finally, it will be delivered to approximately 15,000 of the union’s 26,000 members eligible to vote next month.

 The Pacific Maritime Association (PMA), meanwhile, is going through a similar process, but far less arduous. Unlike the union, there is no “seniority rule,” and all its members will be able to vote on accepting or rejecting the tentative agreement by a simple majority.

While neither side would disclose details of the new contract, labor analysts suggest that it contains modest wage and pension increases. The existing health plan was an issue easily resolved early on in an otherwise contentious bargaining battle waged long after the existing contract expired.

Shippers in the Pacific Northwest and in Southern California were victimized by a number of wildcat actions staged by the union this summer, but those independent actions seem to have abated. According to several port spokesmen no such actions have been reported recently, and none are expected in the future.