The negotiating teams representing employers at the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach released the following statement Tuesday, December 4, regarding the status of negotiations with the International Longshore and Warehouse Union Local 63 Office Clerical Unit (“OCU”): “Representatives of the harbor employers and OCU officers reached agreement tonight on terms of a new labor contract, ending the OCU’s eight-day strike at the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach. Longshoremen who had been honoring the pickets will return to work in the morning.”
The deal came after Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa called in two federal mediators Tuesday morning to try and break the impasse. That pushed the unions into a quicker deal, fearing a loss of influence and negotiating power once the mediators took over.
While most terms of the deal are not known at this time we do know the following:
- There will be “no outsourcing under this contract” per Steve Berry, lead negotiator for the Los Angeles and Long Beach Harbor Employers Assn.
- Berry said the package included unspecified wage and pension increases. He also said there was added job security to the deal, that included a “no layoff” clause that would go into effect once ratified.
The contract will last for six years, and is retroactive to June 30, 2010. It will be set to expire on June 30, 2016.
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