West Coast dockworkers to vote on contract extension

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) – West Coast seaports where work stoppages have affected billions of dollars in cargo could get long-term labor peace if dockworkers approve a new contract extension.

Union leaders for 29 ports from Washington to California voted Friday in San Francisco to allow about 20,000 rank-and-file members to vote on a proposal from employers.

The deal from the Pacific Maritime Association would extend the current contract from 2019 to 2022.

It also would grant pay and benefit raises.

It’s unclear when members of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union will vote but it could be in a couple of months.,

Work slowdowns, strikes and lockouts since 2002 have affected billions of dollars of cargo, especially at the twin Los Angeles and Long Beach ports that form the nation’s busiest port complex.