Local 56 Ship Scalers reach tentative agreement with NRC Environmental Services

Local 56 Ship Scalers and Painters Union has worked in the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach for decades providing vessel and tank maintenance, oil recovery, and other hazardous waste removal. Local 56 members work for four employers who subcontract with the Ports and terminals to provide those services.

At one of those employers, NRC Environmental Services, Inc., Local 56 members worked under an expired contract since June 2020. Historically, Local 56 members have worked as NRC’s primary workforce in marine jobs from the border of Mexico to San Francisco. Over the years, NRC has whittled away Local 56’s traditional geographic jurisdiction. As a result, the member-involved, and active. The support of the ILWU Organizing Department in building leverage for Local 56 was
instrumental.

Key Terms of Local 56/NRC Collective Bargaining Agreement include significant pay increases of 10.5% for work at the terminals and 90% for work outside the terminals. NRC also agreed to more adequately fund the Dispatch Hall, providing Local 56 with sufficient funds to maintain a weekend dispatcher. NRC further committed to send an average number of work hours to the hall per month. This is a significant way to preserve the local’s existing work and allow the local to bring in new members for the first time in years. The company has agreed to train 75
Local 56 members within the next 60 days and register all 75 employees
to work for NRC. Previously, NRC would only train five employees and only register 50 employees. Local 56 also negotiated terms in their CBA to hold NRC accountable—if NRC does not follow through on its commitment to send work to  the Dispatch Hall, Local 56 and NRC will be back at the bargaining table.