West Coast Port Employers, Union Reach Tentative Five-Year Agreement

West Coast port employers and their union came to a tentative five-year agreement on a new contract Friday night, a union spokesman said, bringing an end to a nine-month negotiation process that resulted in significant slowdowns at the ports.

The International Longshore and Warehouse Union and the Pacific Maritime Association were locked in negotiations all day Friday after Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker got involved in the talks and the White House sent Labor Secretary Thomas Perez to urge the two groups to come to an agreement. Union employees will still need to vote to ratify the contract.

Users of the 29 biggest U.S. container ports have faced slowdowns and backups since mid-2014, with congestion worsening in November as unionized dockworkers reduced productivity at several locations, according to the maritime association. Inbound raw materials and outbound finished goods piled up at the docks, costing manufacturers millions of dollars in lost revenue and labor costs.