ILA members approve master contract; but major ports reject local pacts

ILA members approve master contract; but major ports reject local pacts    Rank-and-file members of the International Longshoremen's Association at U.S. ports on the Atlantic and Gulf coasts approved a six-year 'master contract.'
   The final vote tally passed 5,084-3,920. Out of a total of 9,135 votes cast, 131 were declared void, the ILA said in a statement.
   The ILA completed negotiations on the master contract with United States Maritime Alliance Inc., late in March, after 18 months of bargaining between the union and the Alliance, a management group representing ILA employers.
   ILA president John Bowers, the union's chief negotiator, indicated that the approval margin was smaller than expected, but said he understood the reasons of those members who voted against the contract.
   'I know that many members were concerned about the two-tiered wage system and the three levels of health care eligibility, and possibly voted against the contract because of those provisions,' Bowers said. 'I respect and will defend their right to vote no. We tried our best to bridge the pay gap in salaries and responsibly address rising health care costs,' he explained.
   Some port areas rejected their local agreements. The ILA and management officials will continue local bargaining with the intent of reaching agreements prior to the expiration of the previous master contract on Sept. 30.
   'Nearly four months remain before those local contracts expire,' Bowers said. The ILA's executive council, if requested, will 'assist those ports to reach local agreements to go along with the ratified master contract. We want every port area to get a decent and fair local contract and not be jeopardized by losing cargo and jobs through diversion,' he explained.
   The ILA said Baltimore, Hampton Roads and Charleston had rejected their local agreements. Major port areas that could not agree on local contracts in time for the ratification vote include Philadelphia, Tampa, Mobile, Gulfport and Pascagoula.
   The port areas that ratified their local agreements included Portland, Maine; Boston; New York and New Jersey; Wilmington, N.C.; Savannah, Ga.; Miami; New Orleans; Houston; and Galveston.
   When the new master contract takes effect Oct. 1, more recent ILA members whose base pay this year was $21 an hour or less will see their salaries increase $7 through the life of the contract. Higher-waged ILA workers will receive four pay hikes totaling $4, the ILA said in a statement.