West-coast Ports Deal ‘Extremely Close’
Thursday, 05 February 2015
Union urges employers not to shut down terminal operations and to settle ‘a few remaining issues’ at the negotiating table.
The International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) yesterday said it “extremely close” to an agreement with port employers that could end the long dispute between dockworkers and US west coast port owners and that it was trying to keep them at the negotiating table to settle “a few remaining issues”.
We’ve dropped almost all of our remaining issues to help get this settled – and the few issues that remain can be easily resolved. We’re this close,” said ILWU president Robert McEllrath, who reportedly held up two fingers in a gesture indicating how close the parties are to reaching an agreement.
The ILWU pledged to keep the ports open and keep cargo flowing, despite what it called “the massive, employer-caused congestion crisis that has delayed shipping for most of 2014”.
Tags: ports, west coast