ILWU and PMA Tentative Benefits Agreement Reached

The International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) and the Pacific Maritime Association (PMA) said Tuesday that they have reached a tentative agreement on terms for health benefits. This agreement is subject to other issues as negotiations continue on a new labor contract.

Both the ILWU and PMA said they agree not to discuss the terms of this tentative agreement while contract talks continue to take place.

The negotiated contract encompasses nearly 20,000 longshore workers at 29 ports along the West Coast. Negotiation talks that began May 12, 2014 continue even after the previous agreement expired on July 1, 2014. The dominating topic of the contract negotiation has recently been the discussion of health benefits, specifically of how to pay for the tax on high-benefit health care plans mandated by the the Affordable Care Act. Speculation exists that the two parties may agree to a shorter-term contract rather than the usual six-year pact due to the uncertainty surrounding the Affordable Care Act mandates.