Talks Resume in West Coast Ports Strife

Negotiators for the International Longshore and Warehouse Union and the Pacific Maritime Assn., which represents shipping lines and terminal operators, sat down with a federal mediator for the first time since contract talks broke down last month, leading to a crippling 10-day shutdown of all West Coast commercial ports.

Peter J. Hurtgen, director of the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service, called the two sides together in San Francisco and asked them to agree not to discuss negotiations with the media.

Negotiations, which began in May, bogged down on the introduction of labor-saving technology. The port closure, which followed alleged union slowdowns, resulted in a massive backlog of container ships, which terminals are still trying to clear.