ILWU Local 26 Threatens Strike at Eight LA-Long Beach Terminals

Eight marine terminals at the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach face a possible strike from November 1, when the latest contract extension covering ILWU Local 26 watchmen expires. That's roughly two-thirds of the terminal footprint at the nation's busiest container port complex — and it comes three weeks after the two ports posted a combined all-time monthly record of 2.04 million TEUs.

Local 26 President Luisa Gratz laid out the dispute in an October 23 letter to fellow maritime unions. Negotiations with employers and the Pacific Maritime Association (PMA) have been running since 2025 and have gone nowhere, despite federal mediation.

"Although PMA has recently requested Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service's participation, and Local 26 agreed, nothing of value has resulted from the Union's commitment to bargaining in good faith with our employers and PMA," Gratz wrote.

The union has worked under a string of rolling contract extensions since last year. The last one runs out Sunday.

Which terminals are exposed?

The affected locations read like a map of San Pedro Bay's biggest operators:

• APM Terminals
• Long Beach Container Terminal (LBCT)
• Total Terminals International (TTI)
• SSA at C-60, A-90 and LB 206
• Pacific Container Terminal (PCT)
• OH 55

Local 26 represents watchmen and maritime security staff who handle gate and cargo watch duties. It's a small bargaining unit, and its deal sits entirely outside the coastwide ILWU contract covering longshore workers and marine clerks — that agreement runs through 2028.

Small unit, large blast radius. If picket lines go up and other maritime workers decline to cross them, a watchmen's dispute becomes a terminal-access dispute. Gratz made the ask explicit: "We are asking for your support and labor solidarity in respect for Local 26 Watchmen on the identified Marine Terminals in Long Beach and Los Angeles Harbor." Her letter also warned the dispute "will affect your members."

The International Organization of Masters, Mates & Pilots (MM&P), which represents licensed deck officers on U.S.-flag vessels, says it will issue guidance to members working at affected berths as the deadline approaches. That's a union with ships in the harbor taking notice — a detail shippers shouldn't overlook.

What does this change for shippers?

Timing is the problem. September's record 2.04 million TEUs capped a peak season that stretched unusually deep into fall, driven by strong imports and shifting global trade patterns. November 1 lands just as that surge fades — the National Retail Federation forecasts volumes at major U.S. container ports dropping from 2.25 million TEUs in October to 2 million in November.

So the strike threat hits between waves, not during one. That softens the immediate volume risk, but shippers with cargo already booked through San Pedro Bay in early November now carry a disruption premium they didn't price in a week ago. Expect some diversion conversations toward Gulf and East Coast gateways if the deadline passes without a deal.

For carriers and terminal operators, the memory of 2023 looms. The last major West Coast labor fight — also centered on the PMA — produced work slowdowns and terminal shutdowns at several ports, including Los Angeles and Long Beach, before ending in a six-year coastwide agreement covering about 22,000 workers at 29 West Coast ports.

Two caveats worth holding onto. The notice doesn't confirm a strike will happen, and the scale of any disruption — one gate, one terminal, or the whole complex — remains unclear. PMA has shown willingness to mediate; Local 26 says mediation has produced nothing.

The next signal comes Sunday. If the deadline passes without another extension, San Pedro Bay heads into the November slowdown with picket-line risk attached — and everyone from BCOs to vessel planners will be watching which unions honor the line.