ITF Unions in Maersk
New deal for US dock workers
8 August 2008
Workers at APM terminals on the US West Coast included in provisional new collective bargaining agreement.
A US union, representing more than 25,000 dock workers, looks set to have won a six-year contract deal following a lengthy round of negotiations.
The ITF-affiliated International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) and the employers’ group, the Pacific Maritime Association (PMA), announced the preliminary deal in San Francisco last week. They reached the agreement during a marathon weekend bargaining session. The deal is set to cover more than 25,000 dockworkers at 29 west coast ports in the US.
The Maersk-companies APM Pacific Terminals and Maersk Inc. are both members of the PMA. The preliminary agreement covers the APM terminals of Oakland, Tacoma and Los Angeles.
The agreement must now be endorsed by members of the ILWU and PMA; in the meantime, both the union and the employers’ group have agreed to extend the existing agreement.
ILWU President Bob McEllrath says: “The Negotiating Committee did a hell of a job securing this agreement, but they couldn’t have done it without the solidarity and discipline of the rank-and-file. We want to thank everyone on the docks who made this possible.”
ITF Dockers' Section Chair Paddy Crumlin congratulated ILWU President Bob McEllrath and his team and stated: “The resolution at the negotiating table is a great breakthrough and an historic moment.”
He added: “It is an important development for all dockworkers, maritime workers, and transport workers in general."
Frank Leys, ITF Dockers’ Section Secretary, added: "This is a good result gained in difficult times through dedicated negotiation.
“In London and in ports around the world, ITF dockers have been watching and waiting, and standing behind our colleagues in the ILWU as they sought to defend their members' rights at a time of international economic difficulty. Through solidarity and negotiation they and the PMA have pulled off a deal which seeks to protect workers and promote legitimate trade.”
