Union dockworkers at all 29 U.S. West Coast ports have voted overwhelmingly to ratify a contract agreement reached in February with shipping companies and terminal operators to end months of labor strife that snarled trans-Pacific trade.
Members of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union voted 82 percent in favor of the new five-year labor pact, which runs through June 2019, the union said in announcing the final tally of balloting that took place during the past month.
The companies on the other side of the negotiating table, represented by the Pacific Maritime Association, likewise voted to ratify the labor deal on Tuesday.
Final approval, which had been expected, came three months after negotiators for the two sides reached a tentative settlement with the help of a federal mediator and U.S. Labor Secretary Thomas Perez.