Baltimore longshoremen reject local contract

Rejected agreement would cover breakbulk cargo, automobiles.    Members of Local 333 of the International Longshoremen’s Association, the largest dockworkers union in the Port of Baltimore, have turned down a proposed local labor contract, according to an article in the Baltimore Sun.
   Richard Scher, a spokesman for the Port of Baltimore said that despite a lack of a contract, the port expects the union and terminals will continue to operate normally.
   Members of the union reportedly overwhelmingly rejected the proposed local contract with employers represented by the Steamship Trade Association of Baltimore. Negotiations are expected to continue on trying to reach a new agreement.
   While work on container and roll-on/roll-off ships is covered by a master contract with a different organization, USMX. Breakbulk cargo such as paper products and automobiles are covered by the local agreement.