West Coast Dockworkers Caucus Endorses Contract

Representatives of all dockworker union locals on the West Coast approved Thursday a tentative six-year labor contract, sending the pact to the general membership for a final vote.

The contract between the International Longshore and Warehouse Union and the shipping industry’s Pacific Maritime Assn. was hammered out after six months of bitter negotiations punctuated by work slowdowns and a 10-day employer lockout. The union’s 10,500 dockworkers now will cast ballots, with results expected by Jan. 24.

The contract contains significant concessions from the union on technology, allowing information to flow into terminals via computers and scanners rather than being retyped by union clerks.

Those changes are expected to eliminate at least 400 well-paying marine clerk jobs.

In turn, union members won large pension increases, maintained free health insurance benefits and won jurisdiction over some nonunion planning jobs.

Representatives from all locals on the West Coast spent the last week in San Francisco reviewing the agreement. In announcing their vote Thursday, union President James Spinosa said, “The caucus recognized that this is truly a historic contract and we are urging all ILWU members to vote for ratification.”