The International Longshore and Warehouse Union and the Pacific Maritime Association said in a joint statement Friday that they would engage in negotiations this week on a long-standing labor dispute with grain terminal operators in the Pacific Northwest.
Members of ILWU Local 4 have been locked out of the United Grain terminal in Vancouver since February 2013, and dockworkers also have been locked out of the Columbia Grain terminal in Portland since May 2013.
The statement was included in a news release stating that the two parties are taking a break from negotiations today and Tuesday in order for the ILWU to convene its previously scheduled Longshore Division Caucus in San Francisco. It said negotiations, taking place in San Francisco, would resume Wednesday.
The Pacific Maritime Association and longshore union are negotiating a new contract covering nearly 20,000 Longshore workers at 29 West Coast ports, including the Port of Vancouver. Both parties said they have pledged to keep cargo moving even without an approved contract extension.
