ILWU CAUCUS APPROVES CONTRACT AGREEMENT

ILWU CAUCUS APPROVES CONTRACT AGREEMENT    The International Longshore & Warehouse Union (ILWU) has announced that a caucus of selected representatives from each ILWU local on the West Coast has endorsed a contract agreement negotiated between the ILWU and the Pacific Maritime Association (PMA).
   The union caucus approved the contract by a 92.4 percent margin. The next step is for all registered longshore and maritime clerks in the ILWU to ratify the pact by secret ballot.
   The balloting will take place from Jan. 6, 2003, to Jan. 13. An ILWU committee will meet Jan. 24 to count the ballots and announce the outcome.
   The contract needs a simple majority to pass. However, union locals are broken down into ten units for voting purposes. If any unit votes less than 50 percent plus one, that constitutes a veto. Should that occur, an overall vote of 60 percent plus one is required for the new contract to be approved.