Key facts
- The Pacific Maritime Association and ILWU Local 26 extended their contract to November 20 and plan to keep negotiating.
- The talks cover about 250 maritime watchmen, roughly 2% of workers at the port complex.
- The Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service is assisting the negotiations, Reuters reported.
- A strike would disrupt terminals handling roughly 85% of Long Beach cargo and 33% of Los Angeles cargo, the Pacific Maritime Association said.
- Both ports reported all-time cargo volume records for September, including holiday retail goods and AI data center equipment.
The employer group for the Los Angeles and Long Beach seaports and the International Longshore and Warehouse Union Local 26 extended their contract to November 20 and plan to continue negotiating a new labor agreement covering about 2% of workers at the busiest US container port complex, Reuters reported on November 9.
The Pacific Maritime Association, which represents employers, and the union representing about 250 maritime watchmen at the ports are negotiating with assistance from the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service. The Pacific Maritime Association said on Friday that additional talks were scheduled with the union. Local 26 did not immediately return a request for comment, Reuters reported.
Union watchmen control and inspect truck and employee entries at terminal gates, provide terminal security and guard and track critical cargo crossing the docks. A strike by the ILWU watchmen would disrupt operations at terminals that handle more than half of the ports' cargo, including roughly 85% at Long Beach and 33% at Los Angeles, the Pacific Maritime Association said.
The Los Angeles and Long Beach ports each reported all-time cargo volume records for September. Those shipments included retail goods for holiday sales, equipment for AI data center construction and auto parts.