LOS ANGELES, March 27 (Xinhua) -- Thousands of trading companies and other port users are paying close attention to labor talks for two Los Angeles area ports as union officials and port management began their effort to avoid a deadlock like the one six years ago.

    The International Longshore and Warehouse Union and the Pacific Maritime Association have returned to the bargaining table to hammer out a new labor agreement for 25,000 dockworkers and marine clerks at the Los Angeles port and the nearby Long Beach port, sources here said Thursday.

    The two sides began talks last week in San Francisco, almost four months before the six-year contract expires and much earlier than usual. Officials said they hope to reach an agreement before the July 1 deadline and avoid any work stoppage.

    A spokesman of the port workers' union acknowledged that the talks could prove difficult, but said the union plans to hold its ground and fight for the workers.

    "The union is concerned about making sure that good jobs are available in the port communities," said spokesman Craig Merrilees.

    He said that both sides are working hard to avoid the mistake that management made in 2002 when they shut down the ports and locked out the workers. The 10-day worker lockout that paralyzed the U.S. West Coast's 29 ports cost the country's economy over 10 billion dollars.

    The longshore union represents tens of thousands of waterfront laborers whose salaries often top 100,000 dollars per year -- placing them among the highest-paid blue-collar workers in the United States. The longshoremen handle virtually every cargo container that enters or leaves the ports.

    The union is one of the country's powerful trade unions, in part because shippers and retailers are so heavily dependent on the Los Angeles and Long Beach ports, according to labor experts.

    Being the largest in the country and fifth-largest in the world, Los Angeles area's twin port handled 15.7 million cargo containers last year, which accounted for over 100 billion dollars in economic activity.

    Union officials are expected to try to protect their benefits package in the talks, while across the negotiating table, the maritime association is looking to change dockworker shift schedules to make port operations more efficient.

    Steve Getzug, a spokesman for the association that represents about 80 shippers and terminal operators, said both sides are optimistic this time and there could be an agreement in place before the current contract expires on July 1.

    Similar talks between the two sides in 2002 past the July expiration date and led to the lockout when the maritime association accused union workers of intentionally slowing the flow of cargo at the ports.

    The association's move left international trade paralyzed along the U.S. West Coast as cargo-laden ships backed up in the harbors with nobody to unload the goods.

    After 10 days and billions of dollars lost, the labor stalemate was resolved when President George Bush issued an emergency injunction to force workers back on the docks and compel the two sides to resume talks.

    The Los Angeles area ports handle 40 percent of the country's imports, and especially with the ever-increasing trade with China and other Asian countries, a work stoppage this time would likely be worse than that in 2002, industry observers said.