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September 28, 1999 8:18 AM, EDT

Officials at the ports of Seattle and Tacoma, Wash., have until the end of September to avoid another strike by container haulers at the ports.

On Aug. 31, Teamsters Local 174 strike leadership voted to suspend the 14-day strike by truck drivers at the ports of Seattle and Tacoma. The drivers say their main goals now are to win union recognition and fair pay for the port truckers.

“[The suspension] is running out at the end of the month, and I see no indication there won’t be a strike,” said Gretchen Donart, a spokeswoman for Seattle Union Now, a coalition of labor organizations.

Seattle is considered ground zero in the effort to organize port truckers in this country. Seattle drivers are demanding that trucking-company owners let them vote on Teamsters representation for collective bargaining at companies where a majority of drivers have signed authorization cards.

For the full story, see the Sept. 27 print edition of Transport Topics. .