Laura Stevens reported on Friday night at The Wall Street Journal Online that, “West Coast port employers and their union came to a tentative five-year agreement on a new contract late Friday night, a union spokesman said, bringing an end to a nine-month negotiation process which resulted in significant slowdowns at the ports.”
Previous developments from Friday below.
In the ongoing labor dispute that is disrupting the operation of several West Coast Ports, Laura Stevens and Melanie Trottman reported on Friday at The Wall Street Journal Online that, “Negotiations between West Coast port employers and workers came to a head on Friday as the U.S. Secretary of Labor threatened to force the parties to resume talks in Washington, D.C., if they didn’t reach a new contract agreement by day’s end.
“Secretary Thomas Perez told West Coast mayors on a conference call Thursday night said that if the two groups couldn’t come to a resolution within 24 hours, they would be invited to the nation’s capital.”
The Journal writers noted that, “The U.S. president doesn’t have legal authority to summon the parties to Washington and such meetings rarely occur, ‘but it would be extremely difficult for either party to refuse to go,’ said Seth Harris, a former acting labor secretary and former deputy labor secretary in the Obama administration who is now a lawyer in Washington for law firm Dentons. ‘To not go would be an acceptance of blame that neither party would want,’ Mr. Harris said.”
“As of Friday morning, 27 ships were at anchor outside the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, three fewer than Thursday. On a typical February day last year, no ships were in line,” the Journal article said.
Bloomberg Photo-Ships wait to unload cargo at the Port of Los Angeles in Los Angeles, California, on Feb. 18, 2015. Photographer: Patrick T. Fallon/Bloomberg
James Nash and Alison Vekshin indicated on Friday that, “The impasse in talks toward a five-year contract between the International Longshore and Warehouse Union and the Pacific Maritime Association threatens to close seaports responsible for more than 40 percent of U.S. trade. Perez arrived in San Francisco on Feb. 17, dispatched by President Barack Obama after a federal mediator failed to bridge the gap between the two sides.”
A news release Friday from House Ag Committee member Rep. Dan Newhouse (R., Wash.) stated that, “Last week U.S. Congressman [Newhouse], Congressman Reichert (R-WA), Congressmen Schrader (D-OR), and Congressman Costa (D-CA) introduced a bipartisan resolution in the House urging an end to the contract negotiation between the Pacific Maritime Association (PMA) and the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU). Now, just a week later, the resolution has been signed by 61 members of Congress.”
Rep. Newhouse discusses impact of ports dispute for local growers.
