ILA, U.S. Maritime Alliance agree on six-year pact

ILA, U.S. Maritime Alliance agree on six-year pact    The International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) and representatives from the U.S. Maritime Alliance have reached agreement on a new six-year labor pact that “brings labor peace to Atlantic and Gulf ports until Sept. 30, 2010,” the ILA said in a statement.
   The alliance comprises container carriers, direct employers of ILA members, and port associations on both coasts.
   The new agreement includes pay raises for ILA members, guaranteed funds for local health plans, “and resolves the issue of the projected deficit in the industry’s national health care plan, called MILA,” the ILA explained.
   The contract was agreed upon six months prior to the expiration of the current pact between the Alliance and the ILA.
   “We expect local negotiations to commence immediately to allow our ILA rank-and-file to hold a ratification vote sometime around June 1,” said John Bowers, president of the ILA.