Port workers at Los Angeles, Long Beach call off strike action and return to work
THE 8-day strike at the US Port of Los Angeles by workers of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union Local 63 Office Clerical Unit has ended after promises were given that clerical jobs would not be outsourced.
The deal with the Harbour Employers Union follows several days of intense late-night negotiations that eventually required the assistance of a federal meditator.
Workers returned to their posts on December 6 to tend to 14 containerships that were anchored offshore. Since clerical workers began the industrial action at the Port of Los Angeles on November 27, 20 ships had to be diverted to neighbouring ports to avoid the bottlenecked complex.
"This victory was accomplished because of support from the entire ILWU family of 10,000 members in the harbour community,'' said International Longshore and Warehouse Union International president Robert McEllrath.
"[The strike] was a community effort that will benefit working families for many years to come," added John Fageaux, president of ILWU Local 63's OCU.
ILWU officials have expressed confidence that its members would vote in favour of what will be the unit's first contract since June 30, 2010.
In a related development, port workers over at Long Beach have called off strike action that had effectively shutdown three of the six container terminals at the port since November 28.
The parties were reported to have reached a tentative agreement and workers have returned to work. All terminals were re-opened as of 07:00hrs on December 5.