Clerks at ports of Los Angeles, Long Beach to resume talks as contract expiration nears

SoCal port clerks to resume contract talks

LOS ANGELES — Clerical workers planned to resume negotiations Wednesday with shipping companies at the nation’s busiest port complex in an attempt to reach a deal hours before their contract expires and avoid a costly strike.

The union local was preparing a comprehensive proposal before 6 p.m. meeting with employers. The contract expires at 12:01 a.m. Thursday.

The head of the union warned of a possible strike at the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach if talks reach an impasse.

“If I feel there’s considerable and meaningful progress being made, we’re going to continue working,” said John Fageaux Jr., president of Local 63 of the Office Clerical Unit of the International Longshore Warehouse Union. “If I don’t believe there is, we’ll pack up our bags and go.”

He said fellow ILWU members, including longshoremen, have historically honored picket lines if the approximately 900 clerks strike.

That could shut down loading and unloading operations at the twin ports, which account for 40 percent of all the cargo container traffic coming into the United States and are starting to recover from the recession.

Members of the Office Clerical Unit Local 63 voted Tuesday night to authorize a strike when talks stalled. The workers process bookings for the export of cargo and other transport documents for 14 shippers and terminal operators.

“We’re going to continue to discuss all the issues with them in good faith,” said Stephen Berry, lead negotiator for the Harbor Employers Association.

The shippers want to use new computer programs allowing customers access to booking information. The workers are worried that may lead to their jobs being outsourced.

“We’re not opposed to technology that will create more efficient processes, but we do not agree if it allows others to do our work,” Fageaux said.

Berry said the shippers have proposed keeping every existing job in the next contract.

Three years ago, workers threatened a walkout, but talks continued after the deadline. Both sides ultimately reached a deal in which the workers got a raise and an agreement that allowed monitoring of whether any of their job duties were being outsourced.