A shortage of West Coast port employees has forced the busiest US ocean trade gateway to shut on Friday, after months of strained labor negotiations between the dock employees union and their employers.
Employees on the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach on Thursday began withholding labor, which was needed to load and unload cargo, as a part of a coordinated motion by the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU), in keeping with the Pacific Maritime Association (PMA), which represents employers.
“The motion by the union has effectively shut down the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach,” the PMA said in a press release.
Operators on the Port of Long Beach decided to temporarily close 4 of the seaport’s six terminals when employees failed to indicate up on Friday morning, port spokesman Lee Peterson said, adding that regular operations on the seaport were expected to resume on Saturday.
Port of Los Angeles officials were communicating with the ILWU and PMA, together with federal, state and native officials, to “support a return to normal operations,” said the group, which is managed by a unit of the City of Los Angeles.
A representative of the ILWU Local 13, which represents employees at each the Los Angeles and Long Beach ports, declined to comment.
Shipping containers on the Port of Long Beach-Port of Los Angeles complex in 2021.REUTERS
Union employees on the ports have been on the job without an employment contract for the reason that previous agreement expired on July 1, 2022, and the labor dispute has forced major retailers to shift cargo to East and Gulf Coast ports to avoid disruptions.
The ILWU and PMA have recently said they reached a tentative agreement on key negotiation sticking points and were committed to resolving the contract matter expeditiously because the Biden administration continued to satisfy with the groups to assist facilitate a deal.
