"I'm very pleased to hear the news that an agreement was reached ...," Aguilar said. "I applaud both organizations for working together to see this through, as well as U.S. Labor Secretary Perez for assisting with negotiations. As our nation is just in the early stages of economic recovery, reaching an agreement was pivotal for the stability of California's economy and the United States as a whole. Again, I commend both groups for their cooperation and look forward to getting our ports and trade operations back on track."
West Coast docks from San Diego to Seattle handle approximately $1 trillion worth of cargo a year.
The nine-month dispute caused disruptions to shipping services; and dockworkers who headed back to work on Saturday night were met by a backlog of shipments.
Earlier this month, Aguilar and other members of the California Congressional Delegation sent a letter to the union and association, urging them to “reach an agreement immediately."
The dispute finally came to an end when Perez joined in the negotiations. Terms of the five-year agreement have not been released.
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