The ILWU Coast Longshore Caucus has voted in favour of recommending approval for the tentative contract deal for US West Coast port workers.

The 90-member Caucus spent last week reviewing the contract voted 78% in favour of recommending it to their members.

The five-year contract, which covers 20,000 dockworkers on the US West Coast will now be mailed to members for their review and a secret ballot, the results of which will be known on 22 May.

The deal reached with the Pacific Maritime Association on 20 February took nine months of negotiations and brought to an three months of go slows and suspensions of operations that caused severe congestion at US West Coast ports.