The union representing more than 22,000 U.S. West Coast dockworkers in negotiations for a new contract said Thursday “certain key issues” have been tentatively agreed upon.
The International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) offered the update, but didn’t specify what issues had been worked out with employers, who are represented by the Pacific Maritime Association (PMA) in the negotiations.
The ILWU also confirmed in its statement that talks will continue between the two groups “until an agreement is reached.”
“The parties have agreed not to discuss the terms of the tentative agreements as negotiations continue,” the ILWU statement said.
The PMA did not respond to a request for comment Thursday.
Updates on negotiations, which began in May in San Francisco, have been few and far between. The last major update was made in July when the two sides confirmed in a joint statement that they had tentatively agreed on health benefits. That was followed up in February when the PMA and ILWU confirmed that negotiations continue.
Workers across the 29 U.S. West Coast ports have been without a new contract since the last one expired on July 1.
The latest announcement comes after the employers group said earlier this month that workers at the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach withheld labor, resulting in the temporary shutdown of terminal operations. Last week the PMA accused ILWU’s Local 13 of slowing terminal operations by delaying the worker dispatch process and taking key equipment out of use.
Kari Hamanaka can be reached at kari@shop-eat-surf-outdoor.com.
For more on contract season at the West Coast ports:
