ILWU ratification vote set for May 22nd

A spokesperson for the ILWU (International Longshore and Warehouse Union) said that the ILWU Longshore caucus composed of 90 members ratified the ILWU contract with the Pacific Maritime Association by 78%, sending the contract to the full membership for final ratification vote. A final tally of the ratification vote is scheduled for May 22nd. In an April 3^rd press release, the ILWU stated, “ILWU Coast Longshore Caucus delegates voted Friday to recommend approval of the tentative agreement reached on February 20, 2015, between the union and employers represented by the Pacific Maritime Association (PMA). The ILWU’s 16-member elected Negotiating Committee and 8-member Safety Sub-Committee approved the tentative agreement on February 20. The proposed 5-year contract covers 20,000 dockworkers at 29 West Coast ports. All 90 delegates to the Coast Longshore Caucus spent this week reviewing the proposed agreement line-by-line before voting by 78% to recommend the proposal. “This agreement required ten months of negotiations – the longest in recent history,” said ILWU International President Bob McEllrath, “but we secured a tentative agreement to maintain good jobs for dockworkers, families and communities from San Diego to Bellingham. Longshore men and women on the docks will now have the final and most important say in the process.” Copies of the agreement will be mailed to longshore union members, who will then have a chance to discuss the proposal at local union meetings. A secret ballot membership ratification vote will be the final step in the process. A final tally will be conducted on May 22.”