[110313.EN.SEA] New York Dockers And Employers Reach Deal, But 'Tweaking' Still Remains

THE long standoff between the International Longshoremen' s Association (ILA) and employers in the Port of New York and New Jersey could be coming to an end with a tentative agreement being reached on local contract issues, American Shipper reports.

But ILA spokesman Jim McNamara said the agreement is still "subject to some tweaking".

While full details of the agreement have yet to be released a statement on the union's Facebook page announced that the ILA and the New York Shipping Association (NYSA), which represents the employers, have reached a tentative agreement on a six-year local contract.

In a joint statement released by the ILA and NYSA the two parties stated that the New York Shipping Association have reached a tentative agreement on a local contract covering some 4,500 workers in the Port of New York and New Jersey," it said.

It also said that two sides have "produced a settlement that both sides agree will protect ILA members into the future and will allow NYSA-member shippers and carriers to remain competitive in the marketplace," it said.

The accord will be presented to local union officials this week when its 200-plus wage scale delegates will vote on a tentative master contract covering 14 ports on the east and Gulf coasts.

Last month the ILA and the US Maritime Alliance (USMX) announced that they too had reached a tentative agreement on a six-year master contract, which covers 14,500 ILA workers throughout the east coast and Gulf ports with both sides agreeing to keep the ports operating while negotiations continued.

This tentative agreement on the master contract will still need to be formally ratified by both employees and employers, and be coordinated with the successful signing of local contracts throughout the East and Gulf Coast ports.

ILA members are scheduled to vote on the agreement in Tampa between March 12 and March 14.

Source : HKSG, 11.03.13.