Catherwood LibraryILR School

Labor negotiators for dockworkers and some of the world's biggest shipping lines open talks today on a new contract with the aim of avoiding the kind of bitter dispute that paralyzed West Coast ports for 10 days in 2002. With 14 weeks to go before the current agreement expires, this marks the earliest start yet for contract talks between the International Longshore and Warehouse Union and the Pacific Maritime Assn., both based in San Francisco. The nation's retailers are likely to be looking for any positive signal given the weakness of the U.S. economy and the key role that the 29 West Coast ports play in international trade. The Los Angeles and Long Beach ports, the nation's largest cargo complex, account for 40% of U.S. cargo container traffic and 12% of Southern California's economic activity.