ILWU, PMA resume talks, but break scheduled for next week

   The International Longshore and Warehouse Union and employers represented by the Pacific Maritime Association resumed contact talks on Wednesday, following a break in which union negotiators attended a Longshore Division Caucus in San Francisco on Monday and Tuesday.
   Unless an agreement is announced today or tomorrow, negotiations will resume in August. A one week break is scheduled from July 28 to August 1 so the ILWU can resume contract negotiations with grain elevator operators in the Pacific Northwest not covered by the PMA contract.
   The previous labor contract covering nearly 20,000 longshore workers at 29 West Coast ports expired on July 1. While there is no contract extension in place, the ILWU and PMA have pledged to keep cargo moving.