The tentative agreement was reached on 20 February by the ILWU’s 16-member elected Negotiating Committee and eight-member Safety Sub-Committee. The proposed five-year contract covers 20,000 dockworkers at 29 west coast ports.
All 90 delegates to the Coast Longshore Caucus recently reviewed the proposed agreement line-by-line, before voting by 78% to recommend the proposal.
“This agreement required 10 months of negotiations – the longest in recent history,” said Bob McEllrath, international president, ILWU, “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.”
Now, copies of the agreement will be sent out to longshore union members, who will then have a chance to discuss the proposal at local union meetings. A secret ballot membership ratification vote will be the final step in the process.
A final tally will be carried out on 22 May.