LOS ANGELES (AP) - With a possible strike looming, the port clerks union and shipping lines representatives were set to resume contract talks on Sunday.
If no agreement is reached, picket lines will go up at the employers' gates shortly after 12:01 a.m. Monday, said John Fageaux Jr., president of the office clerical unit of Local 63, a division of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union. The local handles the paperwork for the cargo ships that come to port.
The ILWU has indicated that it will honor Local 63 picket lines, which would effectively shut down the twin Los Angeles and Long Beach ports.
The clerks have been working without a contract since July 1. They have voted to authorize their union leaders to call a strike, if necessary.
Under their most recent contract, full-time, port clerical workers earned about $37.50 an hour, or $78,000 a year. They also receive a pension, health care benefits free of premiums and 20 paid holidays a year.
Steve Berry, lead negotiator for the 14 marine terminal operators and other firms who employ the office clerks, said late last week that employers' latest offer included raises that over the life of a three-year contract would bump the employees' hourly pay to $39.20, while the union is seeking increases that would equal $53 per hour by the last year of the contract.
Copyright 2007 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.