Longshoreman Say Ratification of Contract is Next Hurdle

NORTH BERGEN, N.J. - When Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service Director George H. Cohen announced that the ILA and USMX reached a tentative agreement for a successor Master Agreement late Friday night, he did note that two important tasks remained before a new contract takes effect. One was that local agreements still needed to be successfully negotiated and the other was that any tentative agreement "is subject to the ratification of both parties."

"I know ILA members will be satisfied with the results of our negotiating efforts thus far," said ILA President Harold J. Daggett. "Although the two sides cannot release complete details of this still unfinished contract, I can assure my membership that the protections for our jurisdiction and increased benefits and wages were achieved.

"We have come away from these Master Contract negotiations with landmark agreements on automation, protection of chassis work and powerful jurisdiction language," President Daggett continued. "Our work last week continued this negotiating successes."

The ILA leader knows his membership is anxious to hear details of the tentative Master Contract agreement, but will wait until the full contract package - both Master and Local agreements - are available for ILA members to review and approve.

Local negotiations are still ongoing and will continue without interruption to any port area.

"We turn our full attention now to achieving equally successful local contract agreements," President Daggett said. "And we look forward to our members expressing their voice in the ratification process of the full contract package."

 

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