PMA, ILWU Immediate Release regarding a Tentative Five-Year Agreement

After months of negotiations, today, PMA and ILWU made an announcement of a tentive 5 year contract. The parties have not released details regarding the agreement at this time. For more details, please read below immediate release by PMA, ILWU and The White House Office of the Press Secratary:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contacts: Craig Merrilees, ILWU, (415) 775-0533, ext. 113 (o), (510) 774-5325 (c)
Wade Gates, PMA, (415) 591-4080, pmanews@bm.com
Steve Getzug PMA, (213) 219-8990 (mobile)

PMA, ILWU Announce West Coast Waterfront Contract

FMCS, Cabinet Secretaries Played Key Roles

SAN FRANCISCO (Feb. 20, 2015) – The Pacific Maritime Association and the International Longshore and Warehouse Union today announced a tentative agreement on a new five-year contract covering workers at all 29 West Coast ports. The deal was reached with assistance from U.S. Secretary of Labor Tom Perez and Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service Deputy Director Scot Beckenbaugh. The parties will not be releasing details of the agreement at this time. The agreement is subject to ratification by both parties. “After more than nine months of negotiations, we are pleased to have reached an agreement that is good for workers and for the industry,” said PMA President James McKenna and ILWU President Bob McEllrath in a joint statement. “We are also pleased that our ports can now resume full operations.”

THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 20, 2015

Statement by the Press Secretary on the West Coast Ports Agreement

This is great news for the parties involved in the negotiation and a huge relief for our economy – particularly the countless American workers, farmers, and businesses that have been affected by the dispute and those facing even greater disruption and costs with further delays. Helping resolve this dispute has been a top priority, and last weekend the President directed Labor Secretary Tom Perez to travel to California to meet with the parties to help them reach a resolution because further delays would have been harmful to these workers and the economy. The President was kept updated on the negotiations over the past several weeks, including receiving an update last night from Secretary Perez. The President is grateful to Secretary Perez for his hard work bringing about a successful resolution to this dispute, and for the help of federal mediator Scot Beckenbaugh. And he calls on the parties to work together to clear out the backlogs and congestion in the West Coast Ports as they finalize their agreement.