ILWU SUSPENDS WEST COAST LABOR NEGOTIATIONS

ILWU SUSPENDS WEST COAST LABOR NEGOTIATIONS    The International Longshore & Warehouse Union said Wednesday it has suspended contract negotiations with the Pacific Maritime Association after the death of Robert Spinosa, 94, father of ILWU president James Spinosa, in Los Angeles, late Tuesday night.
   When talks resumed on Tuesday after a three-week break, the ILWU said it was committed to working for a contract “without the intervention of third parties.” The PMA had floated the idea of using a mediator to settle remaining differences.
   Steve Stallone, a spokesman for the ILWU, told AS+ that although no date had been set for the full resumption of negotiations, “we expect that very soon. In fact, the ILWU’s safety committee is meeting this afternoon. That was on a parallel track to the negotiations, so we still have momentum.”