Tell it like it is, guys –  it's as clear as San Pedro Bay mud

© Tuk69tuk |

If negotiating contracts is about sitting down and communicating, then the US west coast ports are in deep, deep trouble.

Last week, employers’ representative the Pacific Maritime Association, (PMA) said the unions were disrupting operations; this week, the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) tells us the two sides had reached tentative agreements “on certain key issues”.

This turned out to be an agreement on health benefits, which was announced last July, nearly a year ago.

The Californian protagonists could not have left us ...