West Coast Ports Union Recommends Deal

WASHINGTON — The International Longshore and Warehouse Union moved a step closer Friday to ratifying a deal it reached on a contract with the Pacific Maritime Association in late February that ended a dispute at West Coast ports and cleared the way for idled container ships to unload. The ILWU’s caucus delegates voted to recommended approval of the five-year contract on Friday. Copies of the agreement will now be mailed to union members who will vote by secret ballot on membership ratification on May 22. “This agreement required ten months of negotiations – the longest in recent history,” said ILWU International President Bob McEllrath, “but we secured a tentative agreement to maintain good jobs for dockworkers, families and communities from San Diego to Bellingham. Longshore men and women on the docks will now have the final and most important say in the process.” The 10-month long dispute led to severe congestion and delays at 29 West Coast ports and took a financial toll on U.S. businesses. The breakthrough came on Feb. 20, when the ILWU and PMA announced they had reached a tentative agreement on a five-year contract. Labor Secretary Tom Perez helped broker the deal in the final hours. “Since the parties reached the

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