THE Pacific Maritime Association (PMA) employers group say they have a "tentative agreement" on chassis with the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) without specifying terms reached.
"We are hopeful that this will allow us to move toward conclusion of an agreement in the near term," said PMA spokesman Wade Gates.
An ILWU spokesman said the union had no comment, reported American Shipper. The jurisdiction over chassis maintenance and repair has been a major issue in the contract talks in recent weeks.
Harbour Trucking Association president Fred Johring knew nothing of the deal, but said if dockers insisted on "inspecting every chassis before it goes out the gate, the trucking industry is going to have a problem with that".
Mr Johring says that his company has been offered a contract by another company that uses ILWU labour to repair chassis at an "exorbitant fee and that is not our idea of utopia".
The deal comes as 15 containerships awaited berths in Los Angeles and Long Beach on Monday morning and as many as 20 over the weekend.
There were nine containerships at anchor outside Tacoma and Seattle on Monday, and a similar number for several days before then. One ship, the YM Wealth had been waiting to berth since January 17.
There were six containerships at anchor off Oakland, but the Coast Guard said another 13 were drifting 50-75 miles out awaiting berths.
The PMA said productivity at west coast ports has dropped sharply. In LA/Long Beach, the ILWU has reduced the number of qualified yard crane operators they are dispatching.
In Oakland, average crane moves per hour have dropped from 32.1 per hour in October to 23.9 in January - 26.1 per cent below the historic average.
In Seattle, average crane moves per hour have dropped from 27.4 in October to 19.1 in January, 27.8 per cent below average.
In Tacoma, average crane per moves have fallen from 27 in October to 18.4 per hour in January, 26 per cent below the average
PORTS
27 January 2015 - 22:05
ILWU, PMA reach chassis deal, but terms undisclosed
THE Pacific Maritime Association (PMA) employers group say they have a "tentative agreement" on chassis with the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) without specifying terms reached.
PORTS
27 January 2015 - 22:05
ILWU, PMA reach chassis deal, but terms undisclosed
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