U.S. West Coast marine terminals will suspend vessel operations on all shifts Monday so they can concentrate their resources on clearing containers from the dangerously congested facilities, the Pacific Maritime Association reported Sunday. PMA spokesman Steve Getzug said marine terminals continue to experience severe congestion “due to the ILWU’s on-going slowdowns.”
The International Longshore and Warehouse Union responded that the PMA is causing terminal congestion by suspending vessel operations at West Coast ports. “The idea that the PMA is ‘clearing containers’ when it has cut more than 70 percent of the workers during the day and over 80 percent at night is a fantasy,” said Adan Ortega, a spokesman for ILWU Local 13 in Southern California. The PMA and ILWU have been engaged in a game of brinksmanship for several weeks now as contract negotiations continue to drag on despite the involvement of a federal mediator.
Livingston continues to track the ongoing labor negotiations and will post updates as they become available. We recommend you bookmark our West Coast port updates page and follow us on Twitter to stay up-to-date on the latest.
Source: Journal of Commerce