The International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) and the Pacific Maritime Association (PMA) issued the following statement today regarding their negotiations on a new waterfront labor contract:

With more than one month remaining before the current waterfront labor pact expires, negotiations continue between the Pacific Maritime Association (PMA) and the International Longshore Warehouse Union (ILWU). Each side has exchanged and modified proposals as part of the discussions aimed at reaching a fair and reasonable agreement by July 1, 2008, when the current six-year contract is set to expire.

The current waterfront contract covers 26,000 ILWU-represented longshore workers at 29 west coast ports in California, Oregon and Washington. The PMA represents cargo carriers, terminal operators and stevedores operating on the west coast.