PMA-ILWU Contract:
Pay & Benefits
PMA’s members are proud to be among the best Union employers in America, providing exceptional wages and benefits to ILWU members.
World-Class Wages
ILWU members are very well-compensated for their work. Average annual earnings for full-time registered ILWU members totaled $243,000 in 2024, and ranged up to an average of $360,000 for ILWU foremen. Wages will continue to rise over the course of the current six-year contract.
Comprehensive Benefits
PMA provides ILWU members with one of the most generous healthcare plans available to workers in any field. The ILWU benefits package includes employer paid health care for workers, retirees and their families with no premiums, no in-network deductibles and 100% coverage of basic hospital, medical and surgical benefits.
In the 2024 fiscal year, total benefit costs were $1.75 billion, and benefit costs per registrant were $106,730.
In July 2022, David L. Crawford, PhD, evaluated ILWU healthcare benefits, concluding that these benefits “… are substantially more generous than the average benefits provided to all groups of workers reported by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.” ILWU benefits also include a 401(k) savings plan with employer contributions, up to six weeks of paid vacation per year and holiday pay, and guaranteed pay for up to 40 hours of work per week.
Fully employer paid healthcare for workers, retirees and families
Defined benefit pension payments and 401(k) savings plan
Pay guarantee plan
Fully-Funded Pension
ILWU members receive significant pension benefits. The ILWU-PMA Pension Plan has seen major upgrades since the seminal technology agreement of 2002. The Pension Plan, supported entirely by employer contributions, has been fully funded since 2019.
The 2024 maximum yearly benefit was $97,680, and the Plan paid $39.1 million per month to 9,392 benefit recipients. The current contract includes a 19% pension increase over its six-year term, bringing the annual total to $113,200 in 2028 for ILWU members with the longest tenure.