A potential strike at the Los Angeles and Long Beach ports has been pushed back to Wednesday as roughly 250 watchmen and their maritime employers make more room to negotiate on terms for a new labor contract.
The Pacific Maritime Association (PMA) confirmed it had reached the extension with the Local 26 branch of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU), which represents port security guards who handle gate security and cargo watch duties at the nation’s two largest ports.
The extension will run through 5 p.m. Pacific time on Wednesday, Nov. 4, three days after the initial deadline was expected to pass. The labor dispute remains unresolved.
Negotiations will continue with the assistance of federal mediators.
“PMA remains committed to reaching a fair agreement at the bargaining table that avoids disruption at the nation’s two busiest ports,” the statement read. The union has not provided comment on the matter.
Local 26 is stationed at the terminals’ entry and exit points across both ports, where cargo passes through.
Although the watchmen comprise roughly 2 percent of the union’s total workforce at the San Pedro Bay port complex, such a labor stoppage would likely be disruptive. If they walk off the job, vessel, yard and gate operations at the affected terminals could be suspended.
The watchmen work at terminals that handle roughly 85 percent of the cargo moving through the Port of Long Beach and 33 percent at the Port of Los Angeles.
The security guards have a separate contract from the rest of the ILWU union workers who secured a six-year contract in summer 2023.
Local 26’s deal expired in July last year, with the watchmen working under an extension in the time since. According to the PMA, the sides have met regularly for more than a year but have not made headway on a deal. The maritime employers say the full-time watchmen earn an average of more than $170,000 with fully paid health care and pension benefits.
According to a report from The Wall Street Journal, the PMA is concerned that if the guards went on strike, other unionized longshore workers, from crane operators to container-yard workers, wouldn’t cross picket lines.
A work stoppage would be ill-timed for a port complex that has seen a surge in container dwell times in recent months amid an influx in imports, causing an ensuing backlog for cargo getting shipped inland via rail.
The twin gateways handled more than 2 million 20-foot equivalent units (TEUs) collectively in September amid ongoing uncertainty regarding the Panama Canal and the conflict in the Middle East.
