Longshore Pact’s Effect on Ports to Be Discussed

Representatives from labor, management and the shipping industry are scheduled today to discuss the impact on local ports of the recently ratified labor agreement between longshore workers and the Pacific Maritime Assn., which represents steamship lines and terminal operators along the West Coast. The three-year contract, approved Aug. 25 by the International Longshore & Warehouse Union, increases pay, health insurance and pension benefits. A panel discussion about the implications of the agreement is scheduled for 11:30 a.m. at the Westin hotel in Long Beach. Panelists will include union business agent Rudy Rubio, Pacific Maritime Assn. Vice President Chuck Wallace and Capt. Karsten Lemke, West Coast vice president of ZIM Container Services shipping line. For more information, call (562) 432-8128.