Things are very tense in the port of Los Angeles. The contract renewal issue is heating up and the situation remains complicated. But neither the trade union leaders of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU), which represents the interests of dockworkers in 29 ports, nor the employers, represented by the Pacific Marine Association (PMA), intend to raise the level of confrontation. At least for the time being.
The contract, which affects 22,000 dockworkers, expired on July 1st . At the centre of the negotiations is the wage increase for unionized workers and the possible expansion of automation processes (which the shipping companies want and which the workers, on the other hand, would like to block, because it would result in the loss of new jobs).
According to Lloyds List, the big carriers apparently already have a contingency plan in place in the event of negotiations taking a turn for the worse, leading to operational problems at the main west coast US port.
But no one in the ILWU even intends to threaten to go on strike. On the contrary, the objective, shared with the PMA, is to calm down, so much so that, in a joint statement, both sides declared that they do not intend to block the port in any way. Moreover, they stressed that they understand the strategic importance of ports to the regional and US economies and are aware of the need to finalize a new coast-wide contract as soon as possible. In the meantime, cargo will continue to be handled on a regular basis until an agreement is reached.
Translation by Giles Foster
