U.S. West Coast ports face new crisis as dockworkers cease contract negotiations

Just when shippers thought things could not get any worse with the West Coast port labor “slowdown,” dockworkers proved them wrong.

The latest tactic employed by the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) has been to cease contract negotiations for next 12 days.

“We have made it abundantly clear that we believe these negotiations are of the utmost importance and should continue at full strength until the Thanksgiving holiday,” said PMA spokesman Wade Gates. “We are disappointed the Union is not showing the same urgency to resolve the issues between us.”

Three weeks after initiating a coordinated series of slowdowns that have mired the major West Coast ports of Tacoma, Seattle, Oakland, Los Angeles and Long Beach, the ILWU has pushed away from the bargaining table.

Despite a request from the Pacific Maritime Association to continue bargaining, the ILWU has decided to curtail “big table” negotiations starting today through the end of the Thanksgiving weekend – a 12-day break.

According to the PMA, the only bargaining through December 1 will be limited to sub-committees discussing limited issues, with most members of the ILWU’s negotiating committee taking an extended break.

As noted in LM earlier this week, the ILWU has also refused to agree to a temporary contract extension – similar to one it signed over the summer – despite multiple requests by the PMA.

A contract extension would give both parties access to the well-established waterfront grievance process, and most notably would give employers recourse for the ILWU slowdowns that are continuing.

Earlier this week, U.S. senators representing California, Washington and Oregon also appealed to both the ILWU and PMA leadership to “continue negotiating in good faith to resolve the remaining issues and to swiftly move toward a final contract agreeable to both parties.”

The six senators – all Democrats – were Dianne Feinstein, and Barbara Boxer of California; Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell of Washington; and Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden of Oregon signed a letter made public yesterday.