ILWU rejects contract extension requested by employers at US West Coast ports

The Pacific Maritime Association (PMA), which represents 70 ocean carriers and the US West Coast port terminals, requested in a letter sent earlier this month that the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) extend its current labour contract for another year, to July 1, 2023. The PMA promoted the extension as a “necessary step to protect commerce and our economy during this recovery period.”

The ILWU has rejected that proposal.

In 2019, the ILWU agreed to a three-year extension of the existing contract; union members received a wage increase in return. ILWU President Willie Adams said in a statement this week: “The employer is now asking for an extension to that extension. We’ve been waiting for seven years to address issues that are important to dockworkers.”

The two sides are expected to begin contract negotiations in the spring.