SAN FRANCISCO — Longshore workers and West Coast port managers have agreed to terms on a three-year contract, ending a dispute that affected some of the nation’s largest ports, union officials said.
Terms of the agreement reached Thursday were not disclosed pending ratification of the contract.
“This agreement ushers in a new era for the West Coast waterfront as we move into the 21st century,” said Joe Miniace, president of the Pacific Maritime Association.
The strike originated with Local 10 of the International Longshore Workers Union in San Francisco. The walkout stopped most activity at the Port of Oakland, which includes 12 cargo terminals serving 33 shipping lines.
At one point, the PMA reported slowdowns at all major ports up and down the West Coast – Seattle, Tacoma, Portland, Oakland, Los Angeles and Long Beach – which handled $266 billion in goods last year.
The association and union leaders had negotiated since May on a contract affecting 14,700 union members on the West Coast.
The association’s offer included a 32 percent boost in pension benefits to future retirees and a 15 percent raise for those already retired. Miniace had said it would make West Coast workers “among the highest compensated union workers in America.”
Pay in 1998 averaged $99,000 for workers, $117,617 for clerks and $156,251 for foremen, according to the association.
The existing contract allows union members to stop work whenever they perceive a safety problem. The association sought to eliminate that option, arguing the union rank-and-file has used it to stage unauthorized work stoppages and slowdowns.
