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Retailers criticize dockworker unions for rejecting port labor deal
The National Retail Federation (NRF) sharply criticized the unions representing dockworkers at West Coast ports for voting against a proposed agreement on a new labor contract.
Sixteen Southern California affiliates of the AFL-CIO-affiliated International Longshoremen and Warehouse Union (ILWU) voted against the terms of a deal that was negotiated with the Los Angeles/Long Beach Harbor Employers Association with the help of federal mediators this week.
The NRF said Friday that it was "extremely disappointed by this vote" and urged the two sides to get back to the negotiating table quickly.
"Ratification of a contract is needed to give retailers and other industries that rely on these ports the predictability they need to make long-term plans and get back to growing their businesses and creating jobs," NRF Vice President for Supply Chain and Customs Policy Jonathan Gold said in a statement.
"The shutdown during the holiday shopping season was more than just a fight between labor and management — it threatened to impact consumers’ shopping plans at the most crucial time of the year. We can’t afford to see another shutdown," Gold continued. "As labor and management work to resolve this situation, uninterrupted operation of the ports should be their top priority. Too many jobs across the country depend on these ports to let any interference with operations be considered an acceptable way of doing business.”
The holiday shutdown led to the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service (FMCS) getting involved in the negotiations.
The FMCS recently helped broker a deal in a similar labor dispute at East and Gulf Coast ports, preventing a work stoppage at 14 ports that retail groups like the NRF said would have crippled the U.S. economy.
The ILWU has not yet publicly commented on the votes against the agreement.
