Port Worker Union Labour Talks on West, East, and Gulf Coasts

The last half of 2023 will have six separate North American longshore unions engaged in contract talks with ports, unless there are any breakthroughs. This rare occurrence is causing shippers to be nervous, as containerized trade cannot happen without unionized port workers.

Here’s the list of unions that will be engaging in labour talks later this year:

• International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) – they’ve been in formal talks for 10 months with their employers, all the ports from Seattle to Southern California
• ILWU’s Local 63 Office Clerical Unit – Clerical workers at the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach have a contract that expires at the end of June
• International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) – discussions are scheduled to start soon with East and Gulf coast ports
• ILWU Canada – in British Columbia, negotiations with the ports of Vancouver and Prince Rupert began in early March
• The Canadian Union of Public Employees – the current contract with the port of Montreal expires at the end of 2023
• Locals for the Port of Halifax – negotiations continue to drag on for a deal that originally expired at the end of 2020

Source:
1. North American longshore labor talks span coast to coast, Journal of Commerce, Mar 15, 2023. Accessed Mar 20, 2023.