LOS ANGELES — About 250 union security workers at the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach could walk off the job as soon as Wednesday evening if they do not reach a new contract with port employers. U.S. meat exporters warn that a strike could ripple up the West Coast.
International Longshore and Warehouse Union Local 26, which represents the port watchmen, had set a strike deadline of 5 p.m. Pacific time Sunday, Nov. 1. On Friday, Oct. 30, the union and the Pacific Maritime Association, which bargains for terminal operators and shipping lines, agreed to extend talks to 5 p.m. Pacific time Wednesday, Nov. 4. Federal mediators are assisting.
The watchmen make up only about 2% of the ILWU workforce at the two ports. But they work at terminals that handle roughly 85% of cargo at the Port of Long Beach and 33% at the Port of Los Angeles, according to the PMA. The employers’ group has warned that other ILWU members, including longshore workers and clerks, are unlikely to cross Local 26 picket lines. That could halt vessel, yard and gate operations at the affected terminals…