Recyclers who export from the U.S. West Coast have open ports for now, as the unions and terminal operators have resumed contract talks that both sides have classified as slow-moving.
According to a report in the Wall Street Journal, negotiators for the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) requested a break from talks that have been taking place both before and after the previous contract expired July 1. That break was scheduled to end Aug. 14.
The most recent proposal from terminal operators, negotiating jointly as the Pacific Maritime Association, has been rejected by a caucus of dock workers who met in San Francisco in late July.
The two sides are reportedly struggling to find common ground on key negotiating points, including the introduction of new technology at the shipping sites that could reduce the number of union jobs.
Both a work slowdown by dock workers and a lock-out by Pacific Maritime Association port operators are possible. Customers who import and export from the West Coast are already lobbying the Bush Administration to intervene if the ports shut down, according to news reports.
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