LA and Long Beach port watchmen's contract extended to midnight 6 November

The extension came after the two sides negotiated late into Wednesday 4 November without a new deal, the Journal of Commerce reported. Talks will resume on Friday with help from the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service, the Pacific Maritime Association said.

“The Pacific Maritime Association and ILWU Local 26 have agreed to extend their contract through midnight Pacific Time on Friday night, November 6,” the PMA said in a statement.

The union has not commented on the talks, WWD reported. The latest extension followed the one announced on 30 October, which moved a threatened walkout from 1 November to 5 p.m. Pacific on 4 November.

The PMA says significant differences remain. Local 26 has accused employers of failing to make meaningful progress.

How 250 watchmen could disrupt cargo

Local 26 represents about 250 watchmen, roughly 2% of the ILWU workforce at the two ports. The watchmen monitor terminal entrances and exits, inspect vehicles and personnel, provide security and safeguard cargo moving through the docks.

FreightWaves reported that a walkout would potentially affect terminals handling more than half of the ports' cargo, including roughly 85% at Long Beach and 33% at Los Angeles. The PMA has warned that other ILWU members, including longshore workers and marine clerks covered by separate contracts, are expected to honor Local 26 picket lines.

That could interrupt vessel loading and unloading, container-yard activity and truck-gate operations at affected terminals. The PMA says it remains committed to reaching a fair agreement at the bargaining table that avoids disruption at the nation's two busiest ports.

A contract that expired in July 2025

The watchmen's previous agreement expired in July 2025. Employees have kept working under a series of extensions since then. Local 26 members authorized a strike after more than a year of bargaining.

The PMA says the two sides have met regularly for more than a year without making headway on a deal. Full-time watchmen earn an average of more than $170,000 with fully paid health care and pension benefits, according to the association.

The guards have a separate contract from the rest of the ILWU, which secured a six-year contract in summer 2023. The dispute is separate from the broader West Coast longshore agreement, which covers about 22,000 workers at 29 ports and remains in effect through 2028, FreightWaves reported.

Ports already under cargo pressure

The twin gateways handled more than 2 million 20-foot equivalent units collectively in September, WWD reported. The same report said container dwell times have surged in recent months amid an influx of imports, causing a backlog for cargo moving inland by rail. Importers also faced uncertainty over the Panama Canal and the conflict in the Middle East.

Patch reported that even a temporary interruption could delay container pickups, deliveries and shipments moving inland, affecting trucking companies, warehouse operators, importers and retailers. An Alba Wheels Up advisory dated 3 November said terminals were operating normally but warned that as many as eight terminal locations across the two ports could face disruption if negotiations failed.