A possible strike that could disrupt operations at some of the busiest container terminals in the United States has been postponed after the Pacific Maritime Association (PMA) and the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) Local 26 agreed to continue negotiations until November 4.
On Friday, PMA announced that both parties signed an extension until 5 p.m. Pacific Time on Wednesday, November 4, which avoids a planned walkout scheduled for November 1.
Negotiations will carry on with help from the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service.
The disagreement involves around 250 maritime watchmen from ILWU Local 26 who handle security-related tasks at terminals in the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach.
Even though there are not many workers involved, the potential impact is significant. PMA states that Local 26 members work at terminals that manage about 85% of the cargo going through the Port of Long Beach and 33% at the Port of Los Angeles.
The union has pointed out eight terminal locations that could be affected by a strike.
Negotiations for a new agreement have been ongoing since the previous contract ended in July 2025. Local 26 has claimed that employers are not making enough progress, while PMA insists that important differences still exist after more than a year of talks.
“PMA is dedicated to finding a fair agreement at the bargaining table to avoid disruption at the nation's two busiest ports,” the employer association stated on Friday.
The extension gives negotiators a few extra days to reach an agreement, but the main labor dispute is still unresolved.
The situation is particularly critical for the Southern California port complex, which set a record by handling 2.04 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) in September.
For now, the threat of an immediate strike has been delayed, with the next deadline approaching on Wednesday afternoon.