New contract offer for union workers at West Coast ports

SEATTLE -- Longshore Union workers have a new contract to look at after the Pacific Maritime Association delivers its final and best offer after nine months of negotiations.

PMA President and CEO, James McKenna, publicly talked about the new plan in a video message posted on Youtube yesterday. According to the PMA president, the new deal would increase the average salary of a longshore worker to over $160,000 a year. Worker hours would at least be 40 hours a week. Pensions would also be increase to a maximum of just under $90,000 per year.

McKenna went on to say that a deal needs to be reached soon. He said the recent slowdown at the ports has been as drastic as a strike, but union workers are still getting paid. McKennna threatened that payment could not continue for much longer with slowed works rates and warned a lockout could be in the near future.

We reached out to the ILWU leadership to get a response on the latest contract offer and have not heard back at the time this article was published.