US union says progress in talks with 17 lines
Contract talks between a small but powerful seaport union and 17 of the world's largest shipping companies continued on Sunday, with one labour leader saying progress had been made towards an agreement.
The 930 members of the Office Clerical Unit, Local 63, of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union work out of the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach - the nation's busiest for cargo containers.
The local had given its unanimous approval on Friday for a strike if negotiations were not settled by midnight on Saturday, when the three-year-old contract expired.
But both sides agreed to stay at the table, and Local 63 president John Fageaux Jr sounded hopeful as he headed into talks on Sunday.
'I believe there will be meaningful progress today. We will stay at the table as long as we need to get a deal done, unless we feel there is no movement,' Mr Fageaux said.
A shipping-line representative said he hoped the talks would follow the same pattern as in 2004, when an agreement was reached within two weeks of the July 1 contract expiration.
Mr Fageaux said several issues remained, including the union's desire to have its own representatives on separate trusts for health benefits and employee pensions.
'We believe we have lost benefits before because we didn't have a say in the selection of certain carriers and investments,' Mr Fageaux said.
The 930 members of the Office Clerical Unit, Local 63, of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union work out of the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach - the nation's busiest for cargo containers.
The local had given its unanimous approval on Friday for a strike if negotiations were not settled by midnight on Saturday, when the three-year-old contract expired.
But both sides agreed to stay at the table, and Local 63 president John Fageaux Jr sounded hopeful as he headed into talks on Sunday.
'I believe there will be meaningful progress today. We will stay at the table as long as we need to get a deal done, unless we feel there is no movement,' Mr Fageaux said.
A shipping-line representative said he hoped the talks would follow the same pattern as in 2004, when an agreement was reached within two weeks of the July 1 contract expiration.
Mr Fageaux said several issues remained, including the union's desire to have its own representatives on separate trusts for health benefits and employee pensions.
'We believe we have lost benefits before because we didn't have a say in the selection of certain carriers and investments,' Mr Fageaux said.