National Pork Producers Council (NPPC) joined other trade associations in sending a letter to the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) and the Pacific Maritime Association (PMA), urging them to begin early discussions on a contract extension or a new contract covering operations at West Coast shipping ports.

Those groups, which represent, respectively, dock workers and the companies that own West Coast port facilities, in 2014 and into early 2015 were involved in protracted labor talks and a work slowdown that negatively affected U.S. exporters. The U.S. meat and poultry sectors lost an estimated $40 million a week during the slowdown. The two sides in early 2015 signed a new five-year contract (retroactive to July 1, 2014) that expires June 30, 2019. NPPC and the other organizations, representing manufacturers, farmers and agribusinesses, wholesalers, retailers, importers, exporters, distributors, transportation and logistics providers and other supply chain stakeholders, urged the ILWU and PMA to conclude negotiations before that date.

They also suggested developing a new model, including early and continuous dialogue between the parties, for future negotiations and called on the union and the port association “to avoid actions that would slow, stop, or disrupt cargo movement during negotiations.” They urged the sides to maintain the arbitration mechanisms in the existing contract until a new final agreement is reached. “Agreeing early to a long-term contract will provide the stability and predictability our collective members need, while protecting against any self-inflicted harm to the broader U.S. economy,” said the 113 trade associations in their letter.