NEWS FLASH: ILWU members to vote on extending longshore contract

The Pacific Maritime Association has proposed extending the contract until July 1, 2022, with a 3.1 percent yearly wage increase over the base wage rate of $42.18 per hour.    The International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) said Friday that rank and file members of its longshore division will have an opportunity to vote on a proposal to extend their current contract with employers for an additional three years beyond the current July 1, 2019 expiration date.
   The union said nearly 90 delegates across 29 West Coast ports from San Diego, Calif. to Bellingham, Wash., meeting this week in San Francisco for a caucus of the ILWU Longshore Division decided to refer a proposed extension from the Pacific Maritime Association (PMA) to its rank and file members.
   PMA confirmed it has presented a final proposal for a three-year extension to the ILWU, but did not provide details.

   However an unnamed source said the proposal provides for:
     • A wage increase of 3.1 percent per year over the base wage rate of $42.18 per hour, which amounts to an hourly increase of $1.31 the first year, $1.35 the second year and $1.39 the third year;
     • An increase in pensions, with the maximum pension jumping from $88,000 to $95,460 by 2022, however, one source said that figure was misleading since most members do not receive the maximum (Surviving spouses receive a 75 percent benefit);
     • A three-year early retirement “window” for members with at least 13 years of service to encourage early retirement;
     • And maintenance of benefits for the union healthcare program, with no premiums, limited deductibles and a $1 co-pay for prescription drugs.

   ILWU International President Robert McEllrath said, “The rank-and-file membership always have the final say on any contract – including this non-precedent-setting proposed extension.”
   The union did not say when members will vote on the proposed extension other than to say it “will occur on a schedule according to the union’s internal rules.”
   “We are glad to hear the ILWU is sending the extension proposal to the rank-and-file for a vote,” PMA spokesman Wade Gates said. “This is an extremely fair and reasonable proposal that demonstrates our commitments to longshoremen, their families and their futures. Extending our contract would maintain stability on the waterfront for the next five years – a crucial time as the West Coast waterfront faces increased competition from other North American ports, and as the maritime industry continues to battle global economic challenges.”