Obama administration gets tough with ILWU/PMA

Negotiations to resolve a labor dispute that has crippled cargo activity at West Coast ports, reached a new critical juncture yesterday, as U.S. Labor Secretary Thomas Perez told both sides to get a deal signed today or move the talks to Washington, DC.

The Pacific Maritime Association, (PMA) which represents port management, and the International Longshore and Warehouse Union,  (ILWU) the representative for dockworkers, will resume their meeting in San Francisco today.

Meanwhile, Sens. Barbara Boxer and Dianne Feinstein both issued a letter appealing to reason:

“Every day that goes by without a resolution only adds to the economic pain for the West Coast and the entire country,” they wrote. “This cannot continue. The consequences of failing to resolve this dispute immediately would be devastating to our economy and to the millions of people who work hard every day for agricultural producers, manufacturers and other businesses, both large and small, in California and around the world.”