Officials, Striking Pilots Meet for Further Talks

Los Angeles municipal officials and the city’s striking port pilots met behind closed doors Saturday in San Pedro, but late in the evening the two sides were still struggling to end the labor dispute that has hamstrung the nation’s second-busiest harbor for more than a week.

Half a dozen city administrators and harbor officials met with members of the pilots union beginning at 3:30 p.m. at the San Pedro Hilton. The dozen or so pilots--who supervise sea captains as they navigate the narrow waterways at the San Pedro harbor--are asking for a 72% raise over two years to bring them to $195,000 a year, a sum they say is the industry average. The city has countered with a series of raises totaling 17% over the next four years, which would raise salaries to $133,000.

City Administrative Officer Keith Comrie said the mood of the negotiations was positive.

“We’re working issue by issue,” he said during a break Saturday evening. “We’re trying to refine it so that both parties can agree to the language.”

At the beginning of the eight-day strike, the port was practically shut down for four days because 1,500 dockworkers refused to cross picket lines the pilots set up at private container terminals.

On Tuesday, however, a judge blocked the pilots from picketing the terminals, enabling dockworkers to return to their duties. Still, the pilots--members of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union, Local 68--remained on strike, leaving the city with just two management pilots to do the work of 14 people.

The Harbor Department on Thursday ordered the striking pilots back to work with hand-delivered letters that declared the walkout illegal. Although the letter prompted at least one of the 14 pilots to return to work, it also triggered outrage on the City Council. Under intense pressure from city lawmakers, the Harbor Department rescinded its letter and talks resumed. On Friday, both sides met for three hours before scheduling another session for Saturday.

Underlying the salary dispute are several other issues, particularly privatization. The pilots--among the city’s highest-paid employees at $113,172 a year--want to guarantee that they will have first dibs on the jobs if the city decides to contract with a private company.

The council has given Comrie and Harbor Executive Director Larry Keller broad authority to negotiate on the nonmonetary issues.

Times staff writer Tina Daunt contributed to this story.