The Pacific Maritime Association and International Longshore and Warehouse Union Local 26 have extended their contract negotiations through November 20, pushing back for a third time a threatened strike by roughly 250 port watchmen at the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach. The extension, announced November 6, keeps cargo flowing at the nation’s busiest container complex while federal mediators continue working with both sides.
The dispute centers on a new labor agreement for watchmen who perform security duties at marine terminals, a contract that expired in July 2025. Although Local 26 represents only about 2 percent of the ILWU workforce at the two ports, the union’s members work at terminals handling a disproportionate share of cargo, giving the standoff outsized potential to disrupt operations.
Deadline Extended for Third Time
Local 26 members first authorized a strike that could have begun November 1, after PMA said negotiations with employers and the union had been under way since 2025 without producing an agreement. The deadline was subsequently moved to November 4, then to midnight Pacific time on November 6, before the latest extension carried talks to November 20. Each extension has come with federal mediators from the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service assisting the two sides at the bargaining table.
PMA has said it offered watchmen a substantial economic package including wage increases and pension updates, while the union has said progress has been limited despite more than a year of bargaining. Port of Long Beach chief executive Noel Hacegaba said he expected elevated container volumes at the complex to continue at least through the beginning of next year, adding pressure to resolve the dispute before peak-season flows taper off.
Small Union, Outsized Leverage
The watchmen provide security at six of the 13 container terminals across the San Pedro Bay complex, including APM Terminals’ Pier 400, Long Beach Container Terminal, Total Terminals International, SSA Marine’s Berth C60 and Berth A90, and Pacific Container Terminal. According to PMA, those facilities handle roughly 85 percent of cargo moving through the Port of Long Beach and 33 percent through the Port of Los Angeles. The watchmen operate under a separate agreement from the six-year coastwide longshore contract brokered between the ILWU and PMA in 2023.
PMA has repeatedly warned that other ILWU members, including longshore workers and marine clerks covered by separate contracts, are expected to honor Local 26 picket lines if a strike begins. That dynamic means a walkout by a few hundred watchmen could halt vessel, yard and gate operations across the affected terminals rather than remaining confined to security functions alone.
Backdrop of Record Volumes
The standoff comes as the Southern California gateway has handled elevated cargo volumes, with the Port of Los Angeles setting an all-time monthly record in September. Rail container dwell times at the complex had already been climbing before the strike threat emerged, raising concerns among retailers and importers about compounding delays if terminal operations were interrupted during the holiday shipping season.
Industry logistics providers have advised shippers routing freight through Los Angeles and Long Beach to prepare contingency plans, noting that even a brief stoppage could leave a backlog of vessels, containers and trucks that takes considerably longer to clear than the disruption itself. The latest extension buys both sides additional weeks to reach a deal before any new deadline pressure returns.
Why it matters
A work stoppage at Los Angeles and Long Beach would strike at the heart of US containerized trade, given the two ports together handle roughly a third of the country’s seaborne container volume. With cargo flows already elevated and rail dwell times stretched, any interruption during the extended negotiating window could ripple into inland transportation, retailer inventories and holiday-season supply chains well beyond the watchmen directly involved.
Source: Transport Topics
