Port labor talks resume as contract expiration nears

Stalled contract talks that have raised the risk of a strike at U.S. ports from Maine to Texas are set to resume between the International Longshoremen’s Association and the U.S. Maritime Alliance.

“Upon the request of the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service, the parties have agreed to resume negotiations under our auspices during the week of September 17, 2012,” the FMCS said in a statement posted on the union’s website. “Due to the sensitivity of this high profile dispute and consistent with the agency’s longstanding practice, we will not disclose either the location of the meeting or the content of the substantive negotiations that will take place.”

Contract negotiations stalled — and talk of a possible strike on Oct. 1 heated up — on Aug. 22 when the two sides clashed over work rules. Trade groups representing retailers and other business interests have been urging labor and management to return to the bargaining table.

The ILA and USMX have not commented otherwise on the resumption of talks. The current contract expires Sept. 30, just over two weeks after contract talks are to resume.

Read more in Friday’s editions of The Post and Courier. Follow David Slade on Twitter @DSladeNews.