West Coast Port Labor Talks Ongoing, Two Breaks Scheduled Before End of Month

West Coast port labor negotiations are again on hiatus July 21-22 as the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) holds a previously scheduled meeting in San Francisco, said the ILWU and Pacific Maritime Association in a joint statement on July 18. After that, negotiations will continue until July 28 -- Aug. 1, when the parties will take another break so the ILWU can attend to unrelated contract negotiations in the Northwest, they said. The West Coast labor contract expired on July 1, but the ILWU and PMA have said they will keep ports running at full capacity during negotiations (see 14070222).