Shipping Lines, Union Meet on Technology
From Times Staff and Wire Reports
The longshore union and shipping industry reached a tentative agreement on technology -- the stickiest issue in their prolonged labor dispute -- early Friday, after all-night talks with three federal mediators and a top AFL-CIO official.
No details were released on the deal, which many saw as a breakthrough in the stalemate that has disrupted commercial trade along the West Coast for more than a month.
Wages and pension benefits still must be hammered out, according to both the International Longshore and Warehouse Union, which represents 10,500 dockworkers, and the Pacific Maritime Assn., which represents nearly 80 shipping lines and terminal operators.
