West Coast port operators are optimistic they can get a labor deal in place by the end of this month and avoid any strike or shutdown at the facilities, the Wall Street Journal reported Friday.
The Pacific Maritime Association, which represents cargo carriers and terminal operators in three states, and the International Longshore and Warehouse Union hope to get a deal done soon, the paper reported.
The current contract ends July 1.
ILWU represents about 26,000 dockworkers at 29 West Coast ports, from San Diego up to Bellingham, Wash.
The two sides issued a joint release this week saying they had released a tentative agreement on health benefits, the Journal reported.
In 2002, ports locked out workers for 10 days amid strained contract talks, which produced a snarl in the nation’s supply chain, as much of the imported goods from Asia come to the United States through West Coast ports.
Last year, the sister ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach alone handled about 10.6 million freight containers — more than a third of all containers handled by U.S. ports, the Journal said.
