With labor negotiations appearing to stall, the Associated Builders and Contractors has asked the Biden Administration to play a greater role in an effort prevent a possible work stoppage at the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach.
Officials with the International Longshoreman and Warehouse Union and the Pacific Maritime Association, which represents ocean carriers and port employers, have been engaged in talks since last spring, but with only marginal progress.
In a letter to Biden, the ABC, joined by a wide range of industry groups including the Associated General Contractors of America and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, said that it was “imperative that the administration work with the parties to quickly reach a new agreement and ensure there is no disruption to port operations and fluidity.”
A central concern for builders remains the possibility that a complete breakdown in negotiations will lead to a work stoppage, which will then impact the delivery of building materials.
The ongoing impasse, notes the Wall Street Journal, has led to increased tensions, with “employers accusing unionized dockworkers of slowing cargo handling.”
As recently as the last week of February both the Pacific Maritime Association and International Longshoreman and Warehouse Union announced that they had reached a “tentative agreement on certain key issues, including health benefits.”
In a joint statement, the two groups said they remained “committed to resolving remaining issues as expeditiously as possible.”
But tensions have risen in the last several weeks, especially as dockworkers, according to reports, are no longer spreading out lunch breaks, resulting in a complete and costly work stoppage on the docks for one hour.
In urging a greater federal role in the negotiations, the Associated Builders and Contractors, along with the other organizations petitioning Biden, observed that “significant issues remain for both parties to resolve. However, the only way to resolve these issues is for the parties to remain at the bargaining table and actually negotiate.”
By Garry Boulard
