In the middle of continuing contract talks between International Longshore Workers Union (ILWU) and the Pacific Maritime Commission (PMC) that both sides say have been progressing well, dockworkers at both the ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles took a coordinated, unscheduled 15-minute break Friday that stopped all operations. The current contract between the two sides expired on July 1, and both sides have been working to reach an agreement.
The Press-Telegram reports that the ILWU knew of no such stoppage and downplayed the incident as a minor incident, while the PMC expressed concern.
“Given that this was a unilateral switch, and that it’s occurring in the absence of a contract, it causes us concern,” PMC spokesman Steve Getzug is quoted in the story.
Both sides expect to reach a new contract agreement by next week.
The San Jose Mercury News points out that an agreement on healthcare had already been settled, while other benefits are still under deliberation.
By Ryan ZumMallen, Managing Editor