John Amos, former global transportation director for Bechtel Corporation, former Chairman of the Board of The (NITL) National Industrial Transportation League and an organizer of the Breakbulk Europe conference in Antwerp says that shippers have been the “’the victim” of the recent West Coast labor slow down.

The effort to unionize Southern California harbor truck drivers took an unexpected turn on May 4th when Saybrook Capital, prime investor in Total Transportation Services, Inc (TTS) - an opponent of unionization of drivers, announced that it has started a “sister” company supported by the Teamsters Union.

The Teamsters Union began picketing four trucking companies at the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach and may have discouraged terminals from allowing the companies to make pickups and deliveries.

A spokesperson for the ILWU (International Longshore and Warehouse Union) said that the ILWU Longshore caucus composed of 90 members ratified the ILWU contract with the Pacific Maritime Association by 78%, sending the contract to the full membership for final ratification vote.

Opening the Georgia Logistics Summit, the top supply chain executive of a major food products marketer says the recent West Coast port congestion crisis provides an opportunity for improvement that should not be missed.

East Coast ports look to see significant long-term container volume growth in the wake of West Coast labor and congestion issues, according to opening session speakers at the JAXPORT Logistics & Intermodal Conference.

While Jamaica Producers (JP) has its roots in the banana trade and diversified into a wide host of businesses, coffee remains an important commodity for the company.