Union members at West Coast ports have voted to ratify a six-year labor contract that was first tentatively agreed upon in June, according to statements released by the International Longshore and Warehouse Union and the Pacific Maritime Association.
The contract, which raises wages for workers at 29 ports, brings relief to the ag sector that depends on those ports to ship dairy, meat, produce, tree nuts, fruit, hay and other commodities to Asia and the rest of the world.
“This contract provides an important framework for the hard work ahead to overcome new competitive challenges and to continue to position the West Coast ports as destinations of choice for shippers worldwide,” said PMA President and CEO Jim McKenna in a statement.
A clear majority of 75% of ILWU members voted to ratify the deal that won’t expire until July 1, 2028.
“That’s good news,” Mohnish Seth, owner and president of Farmers International Inc. in Chico, Calif., tells Agri-Pulse. “We are directly impacted when slowdowns happen. We are primarily an export company.”
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Farmers International exports almonds to buyers around the world and primarily depends on the Port of Oakland.
Work stoppages plagued some ports during the often-contentious negotiations that led to the current agreement between the ILWU and PMA.
“The negotiations for this contract were protracted and challenging,” ILWU International President Willie Adams said in a statement. “I am grateful to our rank and file for their strength, to our Negotiating Committee for their vision and tenacity, and to those that supported giving the ILWU and PMA the space that we needed to get to this result.”
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