ILWU, PMA Leaders Reach Tentative Agreement, Ending Nine Month Stalemate
UPDATE by Long Beach Post Staff |
After nine months of contract negotiations, leading to slowdowns and suspensions of operations at 29 West Coast ports, including the Ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles, the Pacific Maritime Association (PMA) and the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) have reached a tentative agreement.
“After more than nine months of negotiations, we are pleased to have reached an agreement that is good for workers and for the industry,” said PMA President James McKenna and ILWU President Bob McEllrath in a joint statement. “We are also pleased that our ports can now resume full operations.”
Long Beach Mayor Robert Garcia released the following statement:
"Getting this deal done means our ports and our national economy will start moving again. This settlement is great news for our west coast ports, our local workforce, and businesses around the country.
"I want to personally thank the President and the Secretary of Labor for their effective intervention and leadership in helping the parties reach a resolution. I also want to thank my colleagues, the port city mayors, for their persistent engagement in this process, and the shippers and dockworkers for reaching this agreement."
Port of Long Beach Chief Executive Jon Slangerup had this to say:
"The Port of Long Beach welcomes the tentative contract agreement announced today and is especially grateful to President Obama, Labor Secretary Thomas Perez and Federal Mediator Scot Beckenbaugh whose leadership and direct involvement were key in reaching this pact. We thank the ILWU and PMA and look forward to everyone getting back to business as usual starting immediately. We know that the marine terminal operators, longshore workers, truckers, railroads and others will be extremely busy as they work to clear out the massive backlog of cargo at all of the West Coast ports, including Long Beach. All of us will be working together to make this happen as soon as possible, but once again, we are extremely pleased with today’s news."
Senator Ricardo Lara, who was recently reappointed Chair of the California Senate Select Committee on Ports & Goods Movement, released the following statement:
"I’m relieved that today’s agreement between ILWU and PMA ends a labor stalemate that resulted in severe congestion at Pacific ports, billions of dollars in losses to our economy and uncertainty for working families. It’s time for all parties involved to move forward and get our port operations back on track. We need to work diligently and swiftly to remove empty containers, bring in idling ships, distribute goods and expedite the shipment of our agricultural commodities. Let’s show the world that our California ports are open for business!"
The National Retail Federation also issued the following statement from President and CEO Matthew Shay:
“We congratulate the ILWU and PMA for finally coming to agreement on a new labor contract. It is now time for the parties to quickly ratify the deal and immediately focus on clearing out the crisis-level congestion and backlog at the ports.
“We also thank Secretary Perez and the administration for engaging the parties on this critically important economic and supply chain priority.
“The congestion, slowdowns and suspensions over the last few months have had a significant economic impact on the entire supply chain and those who rely on the West Coast ports to move their goods and products around the world and throughout the country. The agricultural, manufacturing, retailing and transportation industries have all suffered due to the nine-month long contract negotiations.
“As we welcome today’s news, we must dedicate ourselves to finding a new way to ensure that this nightmare scenario is not repeated again. If we are to truly have modern international trade, supply chain and transportation systems, we must develop a better process for contract negotiations moving forward. We must commit whatever resources necessary to ensure that this will not happen again.”
Assemblymember Patrick O'Donnell, who represents the 70th Assembly District and was recently appointed as Chairman to the Select Committee on Ports, released the following statement:
“I am thrilled to hear that the ILWU and PMA negotiations have come to a successful close. This deal returns all 29 West Coast ports to full operation and ensures predictability for the thousands of workers, terminal operators, and port officials.
"My district is home to the twin ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles, the nation’s two busiest cargo hubs. The twin ports generate over one million regional jobs and are central to the local economy. Failure to reach an agreement would have created lasting economic pain in my community, the state of California, and the entire nation.
"As Chair of the Select Committee on Ports, I commend both sides for working through their differences. Now that negotiations have come to an end, it is time to focus on resolving port congestion, the successful movement of cargo and commerce, and workers working.”
The tentative agreement must still be approved by the ILWU's membership. Details on the terms of the deal were not immediately available. This story will be updated as we learn more.
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