The Maritime Labor Alliance Meets With Their Management Counterparts

The six unions that make up the Maritime Labor Alliance (MLA)—the International Longshoremen’s Association, the International Longshore and Warehouse Union, the International Organization of Masters, Mates & Pilots, the Marine Engineers’ Beneficial Association, the Inland Boatmen’s Union and the American Radio Association—met with the leadership of the United States Maritime Alliance (USMX) and the Pacific Maritime Association (PMA).

The union leaders expressed the hope that through the MLA both management and labor will have a vehicle to facilitate collective bargaining and contract administration and provide a forum to resolve disputes across different crafts before they result in a major disruption of the smooth flow of commerce.

Each of the labor organizations in attendance expressed their respective positions on issues of concern affecting their memberships’ job conditions.

Throughout the discussions, the union leaders emphasized the changes and challenges facing the industry, the joint interests of both labor and management and the need for unity between the parties.

The management representatives responded to the concerns expressed by the unions and a very healthy discussion ensued with the parties agreeing that they would meet periodically to discuss the commonality of interests.