The International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) and the Pacific Maritime Association (PMA) reached a tentative agreement over the weekend regarding labor contracts at 29 ports along the West Coast. The new contract’s details have not yet been released.
The ILWU and PMA have been in negotiations since May 2014 and, at the end, the talks included representatives of the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service (FMCS) and U.S. Labor Secretary Thomas Perez as pressure grew for the two sides to reach an agreement. While the deal still needs to go before union members for approval, it heads off a port shutdown that would have had far-reaching effects on businesses and the economy. However, it may still be weeks or months before cargo traffic returns to normal as the ports work to clear the backlog and congestion that built up during negotiations.
Industries affected by the slowdown have also been actively involved in working toward a resolution. PPAI joined the National Retail Federation, the Consumer Electronics Association and 215 other organizations in urging the two sides to come to an agreement. Promotional products professionals also added their individual voices to the calls for a swift resolution, encouraging legislators to keep the pressure on for a solution. Working with PPAI in a grassroots letter writing campaign, 1,528 industry advocates contacted their representatives and senators, and 380 wrote the White House, adding their support to bringing the negotiations to a close.
Look for updates on this developing story in Tuesday’s PPB Newslink.
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