Updated at 9:33 a.m., Thursday, July 26, 2007
L.A. port clerks, employers reach deal, avert strike
Advertiser Staff and News Services
LONG BEACH, Calif. — Port clerks and their employers at the nation's largest port complex tentatively agreed on a new contract Thursday, preventing a strike that could have crippled shipping and cost billions of dollars, a negotiator said."The employers are pleased that the union recognized the substantial investment that (employers) have made and agreed to their last wage proposal," said Steve Berry, a negotiator for the shippers.
The deal with the Office Clerical Unit, Local 63, of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union came after an impasse in talks was declared late Tuesday.
The 15,000-member ILWU had indicated that longshoremen would honor picket lines if the 750 clerical workers went on strike. The move could have effectively stopped the loading and unloading of cargo at the ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles.
A strike could have potentially disrupted the flow of goods to Hawai'i, which relies heavily on shipments from the ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles. However, during past labor disruptions at the port complex, some Hawai'i-bound goods were rerouted through the port in Oakland.
The port complex accounts for more than 40 percent of all the cargo container traffic — everything from cars and electronics toys and clothing — coming into the United States.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
