ILA rejects local contract in Hampton Roads for second time

   Members of the International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) in the Port of Hampton Roads voted 520 to 483 on Monday to reject the terms and conditions of a new local agreement.
   The Virginia Maritime Association said in a notice posted on its site that “there will be no immediate impact to port operations. The new six-year Master Contract that was settled April 9 for port labor from Maine to Texas is unaffected by yesterday’s vote.”
   The association said ILA in the Port of Hampton Roads and the Hampton Roads Shipping Association, which bargains on behalf of local employers, will return to the negotiating table.
   The local contract covers items specific to the Port of Hampton Roads such as pensions, start times, work hours, manning and gang sizes for break bulk vessels.
   This is the second time dockworkers in the Norfolk area have rejected a contract. After a local contract was rejected on April 25, management and labor had returned to the negotiating table, with discussions facilitated by a mediator from the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service. – Chris Dupin