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valign="bottom" class="nav_links"></td> </tr> <tr><td align="right" valign="bottom"><span class="content_date">11/17/2009</span></td></tr> </table> <div class="blue_line"></div> <br> <b>NEW YORK</b> - Members of the International Longshoremen s Association, AFL-CIO today ratified a two-year Master Contract extension that calls for raises in pay, begins to bridge the gap for lower-tiered ILA workers, eliminates the container royalty cap and addresses the issues of jurisdiction and new technology. <p> The newly ratified ILA Master Contract which was negotiated with United States Maritime Alliance (USMX) includes the 10 months remaining on the previous ILA Master Contract with two additional years making the new expiration date September 30, 2012. </p> <p> Nearly 10,000 ILA members voted earlier today between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. at locals in the Maine to Texas region with 6,417 out of 9,736 approving the Master Contract extension. </p> <p>  This Master Contract extension passing by such a large margin, represents a monumental achievement for the ILA rank-and-file members, said ILA President Richard P. Hughes, Jr.  When we began Master Contract Wage Scale talks with USMX last year, ILA members indicated to us that there were five major areas of greatest concern to them. With their vote today, our members recognized that we made gains or improvements in all those five major areas: wages, tiered wages, removal of the container royalty cap, jurisdiction and new technology. </p> <p>  Plus settlement and ratification of this new contract well before the expiration of the old one protects our ILA ports from loss of cargo, due to diversion which may have occurred without a contract in place, President Hughes continued.  Shippers now have the assurances they want to keep cargo coming to ILA ports on the Atlantic and Gulf Coast ports. </p> <p> The ILA believes the length of the extension  24 months  has a two-fold positive effect. It does not lock the ILA in for an extended period, but it does allow time for the shipping industry to stabilize and start to grow as the economy recovers. </p> <p>  We strongly hold that our national and world-wide economies will improve during the life of this contract, with a return to high volume container traffic, President Hughes said.  With the removal of the container royalty cap, our members could reap tremendous benefits during the life of this contract extension and put us in an even stronger position to negotiate when this contract term ends in 30 months, Mr. Hughes said. </p> <p> Highlights of newly approved ILA Master Contract extension include: </p> <ul> <li>Tiered wage members will receive the highest percentage wage increase in ILA history.</li> <li>Members earning less than $20 per hour will immediately earn $20 per hour.</li> <li>Senior members will receive a $1.00 per hour wage increase on October 1, 2011.</li> <li>More Container Royalty money will be available to each local port.</li> <li>More money will be available from the Container Royalty fund (CR5) to stabilize local port benefits.</li> <li>MILA Health Care coverage, benefits and eligibility will be protected.</li> <li>Increased protection from the impact of new technology.</li> <li>Increased protection of work jurisdiction through a stronger Jurisdiction Committee.</li> </ul> <p> The ILA characterized this contract settlement as historic since it was negotiated during the toughest economic climate in decades with the union achieving gains in all areas. The terms of the new agreement were equally remarkable. For example, lower-tiered ILA workers now have a formula where they know that the gap in wages for them and the higher paid senior members will eventually be closed. For most current ILA tiered wage earners, that will occur sooner rather than later as it is estimated that nearly 90% of the current workforce covered under this agreement will all be at the $32.00-an-hour wage by the end of the final year of the contract in 2012. </p> <p> Lifting the container royalty cap could add considerably more income to those qualified ILA members yearly income. </p> <p> Stronger language on ILA jurisdiction and a soon-to-be formed joint committee on technology round out this strong contract package. </p> <p> The ILA represents some 65,000 waterfront employees in various crafts working on the Atlantic and Gulf Coasts from Maine to Texas, the Great Lakes, major U.S. rivers, Eastern Canada, and Puerto Rico. </p> <p> ILA employers in negotiations are represented by United States Maritime Alliance (USMX). USMX is an alliance of container carriers, direct employers, and port associations serving the East and Gulf Coasts of the United States. While serving as the representative of the Management groups in Master Contract bargaining, the Alliance also articulates industry positions on regulatory and safety issues; oversees coastwide training, retraining, certification, and recertification programs; and is responsible for administering coastwide fringe benefit funds and programs. </p> <br /><br /> </div> </div> </div> <div id="footer"> <div class="footer_left">&copy; All Rights Reserved.&nbsp;&nbsp;2010 International Longshoremen's Association</div> <div class="footer_right"><a href="index.html">Home</a> | <a href="about.html">About</a> | <a href="contact.html">Contact</a></div> </div> </div> </body> </html>