Clerks Strike at Ports of L.A., Long Beach

Officials with the Port of Los Angeles and Long Beach said shipping terminals were open and operating this week during negotiations between terminal operators and a striking shipping clerks union.

Members of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union Local 63A Office Clerical Unit were picketing outside several terminals during the week, officials said.

“They are peaceful and not causing traffic or other disturbances,” said Port of Los Angeles spokesman Phillip Sanfield.

The union said the strike involved about 900 members who process critical paperwork and digital files for shipments at the nation’s busiest port complex.

The clerical unit’s contract with the Los Angeles/Long Beach Harbor Employers Association, which represents the terminal operators, ended on June 30. The current negotiations do not involve truck drivers, dock workers or others in the port’s workforce, officials said.