LA–Long Beach port strike deadline pushed to midnight Friday as 250 watchmen keep talking; six terminals at risk

The strike threat at the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach has been pushed back again. The Pacific Maritime Association (PMA), which represents terminal employers, said on November 4 that its contract with International Longshore and Warehouse Union Local 26 has been extended through midnight Pacific time on Friday, November 6, with negotiations continuing Friday with help from the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service. No new agreement has been reached.

250 watchmen, more than half the cargo at stake

Local 26 represents about 250 watchmen who handle gate security and cargo watch at the terminals, roughly 2 percent of the ILWU workforce at the two ports. But the PMA says a strike could affect six container terminals handling about 85 percent of cargo at Long Beach and 33 percent at Los Angeles, and that vessel, yard and gate operations could stall because other workers are not expected to cross a picket line.

Deadline moved twice; old contract expired in July 2025

The watchmen's contract expired in July 2025, and the two sides have bargained for more than a year, working under extensions since then. The strike deadline was originally November 1, moved on October 30 to 5 p.m. Pacific on November 4, and then moved again on November 4 to midnight Friday. The PMA says significant differences remain, including on wages; the union has not published its demands. Longshore workers and marine clerks work under a separate coastwide contract covering about 22,000 workers at 29 West Coast ports, running through July 1, 2028, and are not part of this dispute.

Holiday cargo surge raises the stakes

Heavy import arrivals are expected over the next three weeks as the holiday season approaches, and logistics firms warn a stoppage would delay cargo. Los Angeles–Long Beach is the busiest container port complex in the United States. The PMA says it remains committed to reaching a fair agreement at the bargaining table that avoids disruption.

(Sources: Pacific Maritime Association statement, November 4, 2026; Transport Topics; SupplyChain247; Flexport. Photo: file photo of a container terminal at the Port of Los Angeles.)