Watchmen Talks Extended at Los Angeles and Long Beach

Published: November 1, 2026

LOS ANGELES — The Pacific Maritime Association and International Longshore and Warehouse Union Local 26 on October 30 extended their contract through 5 p.m. Pacific Time on Wednesday, November 4. The association had set the prior deadline at November 1. The extension keeps talks going at the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach.

The new deadline

The association, which represents employers at the West Coast ports, said the two sides signed the extension in San Francisco on October 30. Negotiations continue with the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service. The statement says the association remains committed to a fair agreement that avoids a disruption at the nation’s two busiest ports.

Trains reported on November 1 that the extension put off a walkout that could have started that day. The magazine reported that Local 26 has not laid out the terms it is seeking. On October 29, Trains reported that the association said the local’s members have authorized a strike, and that the extension then in force ran out at 5 p.m. Pacific Time on November 1.

Who the watchmen are

Local 26 represents about 250 watchmen. The October 27 statement from the association says they provide security at six container terminals. Those members are about 2 percent of the ILWU workforce at the two ports. They work at terminals that handle more than half of the cargo moving through the complex, including roughly 85 percent at Long Beach and 33 percent at Los Angeles. The October 30 statement repeats those two port shares.

Longshore workers, marine clerks, and other ILWU members work under a separate coastwide contract. The association says they are not a party to this dispute. It also says they are not expected to cross a Local 26 picket line. A refusal to cross could stop vessel, yard, and gate work at the terminals where the watchmen are assigned.

The railroads at the docks

Trains reported that Union Pacific and BNSF Railway serve the two ports, and that the ports handle 31 percent of the container traffic that moves through U.S. seaports. The Port of Los Angeles, in a statement Trains reported on October 29, asked both sides to keep negotiating and said it hoped cargo would keep moving.

Where the bargaining stands

The prior agreement expired in July 2025. The association says the two sides have met regularly for more than a year. In the October 27 statement, it said every tentative agreement reached so far has been on a union proposal, and that none of the employers’ proposals has been settled. It said significant differences remain.

The same statement says the employers have offered wage increases and pension improvements over the life of an agreement. It says watchmen working full time now average more than $170,000 a year, with healthcare paid by the employer and a pension the association called generous.

Sources

Pacific Maritime Association, statement, San Francisco, October 30, 2026. The association and ILWU Local 26 signed an extension through 5 p.m. Pacific Time on Wednesday, November 4. Talks continue with the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service. About 250 watchmen work at terminals that handle roughly 85 percent of the cargo at the Port of Long Beach and 33 percent at the Port of Los Angeles. The association said it remains committed to an agreement that avoids disruption at the nation’s two busiest ports.
Pacific Maritime Association, statement, San Francisco, October 27, 2026. The deadline named in that statement was November 1. About 250 watchmen provide security at six container terminals and make up about 2 percent of the ILWU workforce at the ports. Their terminals handle more than half of the cargo. Other ILWU members work under a separate coastwide contract and are not expected to cross a Local 26 picket line. The prior agreement expired in July 2025. The association said every tentative agreement so far was on a union proposal, that none of the employers’ proposals has been resolved, and that full-time watchmen average more than $170,000 a year, with employer-paid healthcare and a pension.
Trains, November 1, 2026. The extension put off a walkout that could have started that day. Local 26 has not outlined the terms it is seeking. The two ports, served by Union Pacific and BNSF Railway, handle 31 percent of U.S. container traffic that moves through seaports.
Trains, October 29, 2026. The association said Local 26 members have authorized a strike. The extension then in force expired at 5 p.m. Pacific Time on November 1. The Port of Los Angeles asked the parties to continue negotiating and said it hoped operations would not be disrupted. The article first appeared at FreightWaves.

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