Making 'progress' on GC port contract

The labor union representing dockworkers on the East /Gulf coasts and a ports’ association group have made "significant progress" related to terms for a six-year extension of a current master contract, according to a joint statement released March 23. About 50 negotiators from the International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) labor union and the United States Maritime Alliance (USMX) spent March 21-22 discussing updates to the current master contract, which is set to expire Sept. 30, 2018. According to that statement, USMX aims "to present a complete contract package to the full ILA Wage Scale Delegates sometime in the near future and then schedule a ratification vote …” ILA officers from all major ports on the Atlantic/Gulf coasts were represented on the union’s negotiating committee, while USMX’s bargaining committee included representatives from ocean carriers, terminal operators and port associations. (Source: American Shipper 03/25/18)