International Longshore and Warehouse Union. Formed in 1937, the ILWU represents some 70,000 workers in the United States and Canada. Its Longshore Division represents waterfront employees on the U.S. and Canadian Pacific coasts. The division is broken into four regions Washington Coast and Puget Sound, Oregon and Columbia River, Northern California, and Southern California. Longshore employees load and unload ships and barges, stuff and unstuff containers, handle lines, maintain stevedoring gear, and perform other related duties.
Clerks inspect cargo, record the type and amount of cargo, and report any cargo damage.
Foremen or walking bosses supervise loading and unloading operations. Top Profile of negotiations Even before negotiations started, the parties relationship was strained. Negotiations in 1996 resulted in an agreement that was one of the most profitable ones for the union, but also was one of the most controversial. But it was unpopular among many dockworkers. It led to pay cuts for the highest-skilled workers because it banned side agreements that allowed individual PMA members to grant bonuses to their best employees to keep them working at their facilities.