US West Coast dockworkers and port operators have reached a tentative deal on a new labour contract, officials said late Friday, averting a shutdown that would have hit about half the country's trade. The new agreement, details of which were not immediately available, could free up operations at the ports that have slowed significantly since the labour contract expired in July at key ports for trade with Asia.
The Pacific Maritime Association, representing management for all 29 West Coast ports, and the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU), representing 20,000 dockworkers, must still approve the deal. "After more than nine months of negotiations, we are pleased to have reached an agreement that is good for workers and for the industry," PMA president James McKenna and ILWU president Bob McEllrath said in a joint statement. "We are also pleased that our ports can now resume full operations." Labour Secretary Thomas Perez oversaw four days of negotiations in San Francisco between the two parties. Perez had warned the two sides to strike a deal for a new dockworker contract now or see talks move to Washington, which would place more federal pressure on the two parties, according to reports.
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