Longshoremen Reject Port Contract – Again

Unionized longshoremen at the Port of Baltimore have voted to reject a contract proposal from their employers, again extending a labor standoff that has destabilized the state's primary trade hub for months.

Members of the International Longshoremen's Association (ILO) Local 333 voted 416 to 140 to reject the local contract. The Steamship Trade Association, which represents employers at the port of Baltimore, had repeatedly called the contract its "best and final" offer.

This latest development leaves the situation between the two parties with no labor agreement in place, but no threats of a strike or lockout. The port is expected to continue operating.

In October 2013, members of Local 333 staged a three-day strike that paralyzed the port's public terminals.