West Coast shippers, dockworkers near new deal

A 10-day lockout during a 2002 port worker contract dispute cost the nation’s economy an estimated $1 billion to $2 billion a day.

The Associated Press

6/19/2008

LOS ANGELES — West Coast port workers and shippers have reached a tentative agreement on health care benefits, but both sides continue to negotiate wage, workplace safety and other issues in their ongoing contract talks.

Neither the Pacific Maritime Association or the International Longshore and Warehouse Union provided specific details on the proposed healthcare package reached on Friday.

Negotiations began in March. The union and shippers have said they’re trying to reach a new deal before the current contract expires July 1. The three-year pact would cover some 26,000 workers working at 29 ports in California, Oregon and Washington.

“There are important issues that remain outstanding and we’re working hard to get them resolved as soon as possible,” ILWU spokesman Craig Merrilees said.

PMA spokesman Steve Getzug noted that discussions have been “productive.”

Longshore workers handle everything from operating cranes at port marine terminals to clerical work such as coordinating truck cargo deliveries.

In the current contract talks, port employers are seeking productivity increases through shift adjustments and technology upgrades.

The union wants better safety standards and increased compensation.

The West Coast ports are the nation’s principal gateway for cargo container traffic from the Far East, with the adjacent ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach handling about 40 percent of the nation’s cargo.

A 10-day lockout during a 2002 contract dispute cost the nation’s economy an estimated $1 billion to $2 billion a day.