The Los Angeles and Long Beach seaports employer group and the International Longshore and Warehouse Union Local 26 extended their bargaining deadline by one day to midnight Friday,(6 Nov) averting a potential strike by about two per cent of workers at the busiest US container port complex.     The Pacific Maritime Association late on Wednesday said negotiations between it and the union representing about 250 maritime watchmen at the ports would continue on Friday with assistance from the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service.     Those union watchmen control and inspect truck and employee entries at terminal gates, provide terminal security and guard and track critical cargo crossing the docks.     A strike by the ILWU watchmen would disrupt operations at terminals that handle more than half of the ports’ cargo, including roughly 85 per cent at Long Beach and 33 per cent at Los Angeles, PMA said.    

The Los Angeles and Long Beach ports each reported all-time cargo volume records for September. Those shipments included retail goods for holiday sales, equipment for AI data centre construction and auto parts.