Source: POLITICO'S MORNING AGRICULTURE, 7/5/22

Ports on the West Coast will continue to operate after the contract between the International Longshore and Warehouse Union and Pacific Maritime Association expired last week, the two parties said in a rare joint statement posted to Twitter.

Despite the vow to keep talks going, the statement made clear that there will be no extension to the now-expired contract.
Talks over a new contact, which began in May, were widely expected to run past the June 30 expiration. But the joint statement shows the level of commitment both sides have to avoid disruptions to an already battered supply chain.

Context: The ILWU and PMA renegotiate a new contract every few years, but the history of negotiations between the two parties is filled with disruptions.

In 2002, negotiations over technology integration in ports caused slowdowns and an 11-day shutdown, forcing the George W. Bush administration to intervene and reopen the ports. In 2008, ILWU orchestrated a day-long work stoppage and sporadic stoppages occurred up the coast for three weeks. Then in 2014, a stalled negotiation led to work slowdowns and gridlock, forcing the Obama administration to intervene.

Both sides have signaled this time around that port automation will be front-and-center. Western U.S. ports are among the slowest in the world, according to a study from the World Bank, and the PMA has been eager to speed them up via automation.

But dockworkers view automated ports as a threat to their livelihood and oppose widespread integration.

Power plays: More than twenty Democratic representatives last week sent a letter to the ILWU and PMA urging them to “stay committed to the collective bargaining process and work in good faith.”

The letter was led by Rep. Linda Sánchez (D-Calif.) and signed by House Ag Committee members Jim Costa (D-Calif.) and Jimmy Panetta (D-Calif.).

President Joe Biden also met with the two sides last month during a visit to the Port of Los Angeles, where the two sides said they discussed a “shared commitment to reach a collective bargaining agreement that is fair to both parties.”