Shipping and Logistics

Tentative Labor Deal Reached at West Coast Ports

Written by Laura Miller

June 19, 2023

In good news for the movement of goods on the West Coast, a tentative labor agreement has been reached between the Pacific Maritime Association (PMA) and the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU).

The new, six-year contract covers more than 22,000 ILWU dock workers represented at 29 West Coast ports. Details of the tentative agreement, which is still subject to ratification, are not being released at this time.

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“While the final decision is up to our members, we feel our time at the bargaining table was well spent and that the agreement represents the hard work of our rank and file and the sacrifices they made during the pandemic,” ILWU said in a statement.

Delegates from each of the ports “will carefully review the tentative agreement and make a recommendation to the rank and file who will then vote on the tentative agreement. This process takes a few months to complete,” ILWU said.

“We are pleased to have reached an agreement that recognizes the heroic efforts and personal sacrifices of the ILWU workforce in keeping our ports operating,” commented PMA president James McKenna and ILWU president Willie Adams in a joint statement.

“We are also pleased to turn our full attention back to the operation of the West Coast ports,” the joint statement added.

Acting US Secretary of Labor Julie Su helped with the labor negotiations, which had been ongoing since the expiration of the contract last summer.

Su said the agreement “delivers important stability for workers, for employers and for our country’s supply chain.”

By Laura Miller, laura@steelmarketupdate.com

Laura Miller

Laura Miller is a reporter and editor for Steel Market Update. She has held a variety of positions within the steel industry since 2007, including reporting and editing for Steel Business Briefing/Platts, the Association for Iron and Steel Technology, and Kallanish Commodities, as well as marketing for what was then known as ThyssenKrupp Steel USA (now AM/NS Calvert). After a five-year hiatus working across other industries, she returned to steel in 2021 and has covered the flat rolled, tubular, and trade areas of the industry. She is a member of the Association of Women in the Metal Industries and a past-president of the AWMI Pittsburgh Chapter. She holds a BA in Latin American Studies from Edinboro University of Pennsylvania. She can be reached at laura@steelmarketupdate.com or 724-759-7869.

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