Longshoremen Ratify Master Contract, Most Local Agreements

Longshoremen on the East and Gulf coasts ratified a new six-year Master Contract, covering about 14,500 waterfront workers belonging to the International Longshoremen's Association, the union said. It said the contract was "overwhelmingly" approved in a ratification vote at ports on the Atlantic and Gulf Coast.

The ILA members also ratified the local agreement in the Port of New York and New Jersey between the ILA and New York Shipping Association, as well as local agreements at most other ports. The exceptions were the Ports of Baltimore, Philadelphia and Hampton Roads. Those port areas were permitted to continue negotiating their local agreements and are expected to complete them early next week, the ILA said.

The Master Contract agreement included what the ILA called "handsome gains," including wage increases totaling $3 an hour over the life of the agreement, bringing hourly wages to $35.00 per hour by the end of the agreement. Lower-tiered workers "will enjoy an even higher wage percentage increase," the ILA said.

The ILA also said contract language "strongly protects" members who have been displaced due to new technology and automation. It includes job guarantees for those ILA members displaced and a joint management-ILA committee to continually examine automation's effect on the ILA workforce, ILA said. It also includes restrictions on outsourcing or subcontracting of ILA jobs and will preserve chassis maintenance and repair jurisdiction and expand major damage criteria to protect more jobs. Health care remains unchanged, with benefits secured and funds protected.

Members of the U.S. Maritime Alliance, representing ports and shipping interests, are to vote on the Master Contract April 17. "We're obviously pleased that ILA members voted to ratify the Master Contract," said David Adam, USMX's new chairman and CEO. "It's in the best interest of both sides, our customers and the country that the ports continue to operate without disruption and that's precisely what this agreement will do for the next six years."