By Mark Edward Nero
Three months after a tentative agreement was reached, the
Pacific Maritime Association and International Longshore & Warehouse Union
have each finally ratified a new five-year contract.
82 percent of ILWU members voted in favor of approving the
new agreement, the union said May 22. The previous contract was ratified in
2008 with a vote of 75 percent in favor.
The voting results were certified by the ILWU’s Coast
Balloting Committee, which was chosen by Coast Longshore Caucus delegates
elected from each of the 29 West Coast ports.
The agreement, which was announced in February, came together
after nine months of occasionally contentious talks.
“The negotiations for this contract were some of the longest
and most difficult in our recent history,” ILWU International President Robert
McEllrath said.
The contract, which is retroactive to July 1, 2014, runs
through June 30, 2019. It was also approved earlier this month by most of the
71 companies that make up the PMA.
Neither side has provided many details on the agreement, but
according to the ILWU, the contract protects about 20,000 jobs in West Coast
port communities, maintains health benefits, improves wages, pensions and job
safety protections; limits job outsourcing, and provides an improved job
dispute resolution system.
“This contract provides an important framework for the hard
work ahead to overcome new competitive challenges and to continue to position
the West Coast ports as destinations of choice for shippers worldwide,” PMA
President and CEO Jim McKenna said. “From San Diego to Bellingham, these ports
have long been the primary gateways for cargo coming into and leaving the
United States, and our interests are aligned in ensuring they can effectively,
and efficiently, handle the capacity growth that drives economies and jobs.”
