LA Port Clerks Go on Strike as Contract Talks Fail

Los Angeles - More than 600 clerical workers at the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach have gone out on strike after 20 months of bargaining failed to yield a new labor contract with terminal operators and shipping agencies.

In a statement, members of the Office Clerical Unit of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union Local 63 started picketing at noon Friday to protest wages and outsourcing of jobs.

The Los Angeles/Long Beach Harbor Employers Association says in a statement that it is disappointed workers are striking, saying the union's latest offer contains unreasonable demands, including a 12 percent pay hike, a 26 percent increase in pensions, 52 additional employees, and limits on technology that employers can use.

The employers say they offer guaranteed job security, current wages, health benefits and pensions.