Strike at Los Angeles-Long Beach port delayed as union contract talks continue 

Maritime employers and the union representing security watchmen at the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach have extended their negotiating deadline to Nov. 20, postponing a potential strike at the nation’s busiest container-port complex.

The Pacific Maritime Association, which represents employers, and the International Longshore and Warehouse Union’s Local 26 agreed to allow more time for bargaining. The negotiations cover approximately 250 security workers, and operations have continued while the talks proceed.

The latest extension follows a series of short-term agreements intended to keep workers on the job while negotiators pursue a replacement contract. The watchmen’s previous agreement expired in July 2025, and employees have continued working under extensions during bargaining.

Although the watchmen represent a relatively small share of the ports’ workforce, a walkout could disrupt operations at several terminals in Los Angeles and Long Beach, the busiest U.S. container port. The extension gives employers and the union another window to reach an agreement without that interruption.

window.googletag = window.googletag || {cmd: []};
googletag.cmd.push(function() {
var gptSlot = googletag.defineSlot(‘/21776187881/FW-Responsive-Main_Content-Slot1’, [[300, 100], [320, 50], [728, 90], [468, 60]], ‘div-gpt-ad-1709668545404-0’).defineSizeMapping(gptSizeMaps.banner1).addService(googletag.pubads());
googletag.pubads().enableSingleRequest();
googletag.pubads().collapseEmptyDivs();
googletag.enableServices();
setInterval(function() {
if (!document.hidden) { googletag.pubads().refresh([gptSlot]); }
}, 60000);
});

googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-1709668545404-0’); });

The union had authorized a strike and initially set a Nov. 1 deadline. That deadline was subsequently moved to Nov. 4 and then to midnight Pacific time on Nov. 6 before the latest extension to Nov. 20. Federal mediators have been assisting the negotiations, according to earlier statements from the employers’ association.

The dispute concerns terminal watchmen, whose labor agreement is separate from the contract covering more than 22,000 longshore workers at 29 West Coast ports. Those workers secured a six-year agreement in 2023, retroactive to July 2022 and running until July 2028.

Why it matters: The extension buys time to avoid a potentially major disruption to cargo moving through Los Angeles and Long Beach.

Read more articles by Stuart Chirls here.

Read more

window.googletag = window.googletag || {cmd: []};
googletag.cmd.push(function() {
var gptSlot = googletag.defineSlot(‘/21776187881/fw-responsive-main_content-slot3’, [[728, 90], [468, 60], [320, 50], [300, 100]], ‘div-gpt-ad-1665767553440-0’).defineSizeMapping(gptSizeMaps.banner1).addService(googletag.pubads());
googletag.pubads().enableSingleRequest();
googletag.pubads().collapseEmptyDivs();
googletag.enableServices();
setInterval(function() {
if (!document.hidden) { googletag.pubads().refresh([gptSlot]); }
}, 60000);
});

googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-1665767553440-0’); });

North America container imports rise 9% as as freight pricing pressures mount

Maersk raises profit outlook as earnings surge, but shares slide on expectations miss

Asia-US container rates hold as carriers seek $3,000 November rate hikes

ONE lifts profit forecast to $2 billion as earnings surge

Successful quarter at Expeditors boosted by hyperscaler business

window.googletag = window.googletag || {cmd: []};
googletag.cmd.push(function() {
var gptSlot = googletag.defineSlot(‘/21776187881/fw-responsive-main_content-slot4’, [[300, 100], [320, 50], [728, 90], [468, 60]], ‘div-gpt-ad-1709668086344-0’).defineSizeMapping(gptSizeMaps.banner1).addService(googletag.pubads());
googletag.pubads().enableSingleRequest();
googletag.pubads().collapseEmptyDivs();
googletag.enableServices();
setInterval(function() {
if (!document.hidden) { googletag.pubads().refresh([gptSlot]); }
}, 60000);
});

googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-1709668086344-0’); });

The post Strike at Los Angeles-Long Beach port delayed as union contract talks continue  appeared first on FreightWaves.

Source: FreightWaves