ILWU, PMA Reach Agreement
On New Coastwide Contract

PMA ILWU Press Release
July 15, 1999

(Note: This is from the daily PMA update regarding contract talks... Keep in mind this is the work of the employers, and, as such, is very one-sided. The updates can be found at the website http://www.maripay.com/).

For Immediate Release

Contacts:

Phil Resch           Jim Spinosa
PMA                  ILWU
415-576-3238    415-775-0533

July 15, 1999 (San Francisco) – Terms for a new three-year contract were agreed upon today by the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) and the Pacific Maritime Association (PMA).

“We are pleased to have reached an agreement to provide ILWU members with a package that rewards the hard work our membership puts forward every day at West Coast ports,” said James Spinosa, ILWU chief negotiator and vice president.

“This agreement ushers in a new era for the West Coast waterfront as we move into the 21st century,” said Joseph Miniace, president and CEO of the PMA. “Working in partnership, the ILWU and the PMA will focus on meeting the global transportation needs of our customers.”

The West Coast waterfront includes some of the busiest ports in the nation with more than 50 percent of all U.S. waterborne, containerized cargo moving through these ports at an estimated 1999 value of $285 billion.

Once the contract has been ratified, details of the agreement will be made available.