Deal Reached in West Coast Ports Labor Dispute
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Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images(LOS ANGELES) — The International Longshore and Warehouse Union and the Pacific Maritime Association reached an agreement on a new five-year contract on Friday night that should bring dock workers back to work by Saturday.
The National Retail Federation congratulated the two sides on Friday, calling it “time for the parties to quickly ratify the deal and immediately focus on clearing out the crisis-level congestion and backlog at the ports. The labor dispute had resulted in strikes at West Coast ports over the last few months.
“The congestion, slowdowns and suspensions over the last few months have had a significant economic impact on the entire supply chain,” the NRF said in a statement. The organization also called for both sides to dedicate themselves “to finding a new way to ensure that this nightmare scenario is not repeated again.”
“After more than nine months of negotiations, we are pleased to have reached an agreement that is good for workers and for the industry,” said PMA President James McKenna and ILWU President Bob McEllrath in a joint statement. “We are also pleased that our ports can now resume full operations.”
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