Talks resume in California port clerk strike

[July 03, 2010]  LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Negotiators for striking clerical workers and shippers at the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach are talking again.

Stephen Berry, lead negotiator for the Harbor Employees Association which represents the shippers, said that talks resumed Friday night and concluded shortly before midnight. Talks were set to resume Saturday afternoon, he said.

The association said in a statement earlier Friday that the resumption of talks was aimed at "averting further disruption and reaching fair and reasonable contracts that provide for staffing based on business requirements and that reflect today's economic conditions."

Calls to John Fageaux Jr., president of the International Longshore Warehouse Union local that represents about 900 clerical workers, were not immediately returned.

Some of the workers, who handle critical paperwork for shipment at the nation's busiest port complex, began picketing outside several terminals Thursday after their contract expired and talks had reached an impasse.

They were expected to picket on a rotating basis against terminals operated by the 14 shipping companies until a new contract agreement is reached.

Stephen Berry, the lead negotiator for the shippers, said his clients rejected the latest proposal from the union, which called for a wage increase of 21 percent over three years. Under the expired contract, the clerical workers had an average salary of $96,900 a year, full medical coverage, at least 21 paid holidays, and 13 sick days and four weeks of vacation per year, he said.

Berry said the shippers countered with a proposal that includes a 10 percent increase in monthly pension payments and protection from layoffs.

The clerks process export bookings and other transport documents. The paperwork is usually completed several days before a ship arrives; it could take as long as a week before serious disruptions are noticed.

The shippers want to use new computer programs allowing customers to access booking information. The workers are worried that may lead to their jobs being outsourced.

Workers threatened a walkout three years ago, but talks continued after the deadline. Both sides ultimately reached a deal in which the workers got a raise and an agreement that allowed monitoring of whether any of their job duties were being outsourced.

[Associated Press; By DAISY NGUYEN]

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