Plagued by vessel bunching, terminal congestion, and equipment shortages for much of last year, North America’s West Coast ports are cautioned that these conditions are likely to persist well into 2022 even if imports slow from the double-digit gains in 2021.
International Longshore and Warehouse Union
International Longshore and Warehouse Union
The International Longshore and Warehouse Union represents longshoremen at all the West Coast ports, including the ports Los Angeles, Long Beach, Oakland, Portland, Tacoma and Seattle. Its last two contract negotiations with the Pacific Maritime Association, which represents employers, caused widespread congestion, disruption and cargo diversion.
Webcasts
Feb 3, 2022 2:00PM EST
Jan 20, 2022 2:00PM EST
Press Releases
23 Aug 2021
The current US West Coast dockworker contract will expire next July, leaving negotiations for a new contract to take place amid a predicted atmosphere of constrained capacity and high rates.
04 May 2021
An ongoing dispute between longshore labor and employers in the port of Charleston, South Carolina, in the wake of the now-ended strike in Montreal, could pale in comparison to a looming confrontation over terminal automation when negotiations begin on a new US West Coast contract next year.
24 Jul 2020
The International Longshore and Warehouse Union's (ILWU) letter to California Governor Gavin Newsom compounds worries that have been mounting for over a year surrounding the issue of allowing West Coast terminals to install labor-saving cargo handling equipment.
07 Mar 2020
Portland judge reduces $93.6 million jury award against ILWU to $19 million, possibly bringing an end in sight to a legal battle that started with job actions that began in 2012.
19 Nov 2019
SM Line will bring direct liner service back to Portland after a two-year absence even as the ILWU deals with a recent $93 million judgment against the union for damages the terminal operator incurred during five years of work slowdowns at the Oregon port.
08 Nov 2019
The International Longshore and Warehouse Union wants a retrial of a case that resulted in a $93 million jury award against the union for damages suffered by container operator ICTSI Oregon Inc., from a union slowdown in the Port of Oregon.
20 Sep 2019
How the US and Canadian governments respond to anti-automation pressure from longshore unions will have ramifications beyond the shaping of public perception, affecting everything from permitting processes to federal grant funding for autonomous equipment upgrades.
30 Jul 2019
The lead investor in a container support facility in Los Angeles criticized the port for what he termed giving in to political and ILWU pressure by declaring a key efficiency initiative known as the Harbor Performance Enhancement Center to be “infeasible.”
17 Jul 2019
Three months after a federal court voided the 2018 results of the International Longshore & Warehouse Union’s election of top officers, the union is still awaiting instructions for holding a new election.
11 Jul 2019
The vote, following more than four hours of heated and oft-raucous debate on Wednesday, is more symbolic than impactful
08 Jul 2019
Groups representing truckers, BCOs, and railroads announce support for APM’s automation project at the Port of Los Angeles as the harbor commission prepares for a crucial vote on Thursday.
04 Jul 2019
Five North American terminals have automated to date, although growing vessel sizes and container exchanges at the busiest gateways have terminal operators at least considering the possibility they will need either full or semi-automation to continue growing.
03 Jul 2019
A California bill that would allow a state agency to block port automation comes as the ILWU is challenging plans by APM Terminals to automate a 100-acre portion of the Port of Los Angeles’ Pier 400 facility for refrigerated containers.
20 Jun 2019
Amid intense scrutiny from longshore unions throughout North America, the LA harbor commission on Thursday approved a construction permit at APM Terminals Pier 400 that will open the door to a scalable type of automation that could be incorporated into smaller terminal operations in other ports.
30 May 2019
Operations at the Port of Vancouver will resume at 4:30 p.m. local time thanks to a tentative new labor agreement between the BCMEA and ILWU Canada.
30 Apr 2019
Supply chain stakeholders in the Port of Oakland argue that the development of a new baseball stadium on port property will disrupt trucking and rail operations, potentially bringing the port to “gridlock.”
16 Apr 2019
The Los Angeles Harbor Commission has again delayed a decision on APM Terminals' plan to automate a portion of its Pier 400 facility in the Port of LA, giving the terminal operator and the ILWU 30 days to reach an agreement on how best to proceed with the project.
12 Mar 2019
US West Coast terminal operators see ILWU resistance to the deployment of automated yard equipment at APM Terminals Pier 400 in Los Angeles as an end-run around its own contract, which not only allows for automation but states dockworkers “will not interfere with implementation.”
22 Feb 2019
The ILWU agreed to postpone a decision on a construction permit to automate a portion of APM Terminal's Pier 400 in Los Angeles, but this is likely a temporary setback as the union's coastwide labor contract allows employers to automate at will.
14 Feb 2019
Auto-strad technology gives terminal operators considering automation a scalable model that is less costly than using automated stacking cranes and automated guided vehicles.
25 Jan 2019
Mega-ships and California environmental regulatory pressure is pushing APM Terminals to automate 100 acres of its Los Angeles facility.
03 Jan 2019
David Arian, a former international president of the ILWU and more recently Port of Los Angeles harbor commissioner, was a committed activist for workers’ rights and community causes. He died Wednesday at age 72.
30 Oct 2018
The new ILWU president and his team are certified and now face the challenge of rebuilding the image of West Coast ports for labor reliability, as BCOs still remember the labor disruptions of 2002 and 2014-2015.
19 Sep 2018
The International Longshore and Warehouse Union declined comment, and there has been no public announcement on the details of the challenges, but the union’s constitution is clear on the multistep process that will unfold over the next two months.
06 Sep 2018
“With the assistance of federal mediators, GCT Canada and ILWU Local 502 reached a tentative five-year collective bargaining agreement,” the terminal operator stated in a release on Thursday.
22 Aug 2018
Western Washington members of the International Union of Operating Engineers Local 302, are engaged in a contract dispute with a construction industry employer performing general construction work throughout the region.
23 Jul 2018
The two candidates standing for election appear to have identified the correct formula concerning two leadership factors.
14 Dec 2017
Pacific Maritime Association president Jim McKenna said there is a realization among the ILWU leadership and rank and file that, “The perception of the ports, the credibility of the ports, means jobs.”
21 Nov 2017
Success at organizing superintendents at APL and Pasha terminals has International Longshore and Warehouse Union looking forward to another victory.
05 Oct 2017
BCOs will experience new dynamics that could affect cargo-handling at terminals where supervisors are organized by the ILWU.
30 Sep 2017
Cargo-handling resumed and truck gates reopened at one of the largest container terminals in Southern California at the height of the peak-shipping season.
29 Sep 2017
Management and labor throughout the Los Angeles-Long Beach port complex consider these developments to be of extreme importance because the ILWU is negotiating the first-ever contract for supervisors.
28 Sep 2017
ILWU Local 63 in Southern California shuts down APL terminal as it negotiates contract for newly organized superintendents.
26 Aug 2017
Oakland terminals get full complement of workers Saturday after ILWU Local 10 counter-demonstration is called off
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