Business leaders urge LA/LB dockers to start early labour talks
Time：2016-08-03
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The plea for early negotiations comes from manufacturers, retailers and other local, regional and national groups dependent on the ports, reports the Long Beach Press Telegram.
Delegates representing 20,000 of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union at 29 ports will meet their district headquarters in San Francisco from August to discuss whether to extend their current five-year contract, which expires on July 1 2019.
Contentious contract talks nearly brought west coast ports to a halt in 2015.
"This is an important democratic process," said ILWU spokesman Craig Merrilees. "The point is to have a discussion by the membership."
ILWU president Robert McEllrath called for the caucus to bring 100 delegates representing ILWU locals. The delegates are chosen by rank-and-file workers.
In March, Pacific Maritimes Association president James McKenna asked the union to start talks on a contract extension. He said a contract would strengthen the west coast position as a gateway for Asian trade in the face of increased competition from a widened Panama Canal.
"An extension, if one can be achieved, would benefit both ILWU and PMA members in this competition by strengthening shippers` confidence in our ports and reassuring communities of an extended period of stability and reliability for those ports, which are so important to the national economy and, particularly, the economies of the west coast states," said Mr