ILWU-PMA Take a Break – The International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) and the Pacific Maritime Association (PMA) released a joint statement announcing that they were taking a 72-hours break from negotiating their contract that governs the U.S. West Coast ports. During the break, the parties agreed to temporarily extend the contract that expired last week.
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Truckers Strike at LA & Long Beach – This week, roughly 120 truck drivers went on strike against Green Fleet Systems, Total Transportation Services Inc. and Pacific 9 Transportation Inc. They claim that these companies are preventing workers from unionizing and wrongly classifying them as independent contractors. The ILWU briefly honored their picket lines before being ordered back to work by an arbitrator.
Read more from the ABC News
San Pedro Revitalization – The $32-millon “Downtown Harbor” has opened in San Pedro as part of a massive revitalization project for the waterfront at the Port of Los Angeles. The total plan which includes an 8-mile promenade is estimated to cost more than $1 billion and take another 16 years to complete. The area will host shops, restaurants, festivals and concerts. LA City Councilman Joe Buscaino sees it as a way to bring the surrounding neighborhood closer to the industrial heart of the area, “It brings the water closer to the people.”
Read more from the LA Times
