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Oakland Port Workers Ratify Four Year Contract Agreement

OAKLAND (CBS SF) - Port of Oakland employees have voted to ratify a four-year contract agreement reached after a 24-hour strike last month that disrupted port operations, union officials said Saturday.

The tentative agreement includes a 2.5 percent cost of living raise in July 2013 and 2014 for employees, and a signing bonus of $3,500 for each employee, among other provisions, according to the Service Employees International Union Local 1021.

The contract now goes to the Board of Port Commissioners for approval.

KCBS' Jeffrey Schaub Reports:

The two sides had been bargaining unsuccessfully since July 2011. The port reached a tentative agreement with the union in March but the membership rejected it by a margin of 170-3.

A strike launched on Nov. 20 by about 220 electricians, clerical workers, security personnel, janitors and other employees who belong to Service Employees International Union Local 1021 affected maritime operations at the Port because picket lines were honored by members of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union, who load and unload cargo containers on ships and trucks at the port, according to port officials.

The strike and the shutdown in port operations it caused prompted Oakland Mayor Jean Quan to call the two sides together for additional talks.

(Copyright 2012 by CBS San Francisco and Bay City News Service. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

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