The long delay in achieving a West Coast labor contract could result in a substantial long-term loss of West Coast port business and especially hard hit will be the ports of Seattle and Tacoma, according to Edward DeNike, President, SSA Containers.

The Pacific Maritime Association (PMA) and the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) announced a tentative agreement on a new six-year contract covering workers at all 29 West Coast ports on June 14th.

U.S. Secretary of Labor Julie Su released the following statement after a tentative agreement was reached on June 14th between leaders of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) and the Pacific Maritime Association (PMA).

On June 14th, agricultural exporters attending the Agriculture Transportation Coalition (AgTC) annual meeting in Tacoma, Washington expressed continued concern about ocean carriers treatment of exporters, but many seem to agree that passage of the Ocean Shipping Reform Act had alleviated problems with carriers including addressing some detention and demurrage problems.

Eugene Seroka, executive director, Port of Los Angeles reported “minimal disruption” to Port of Los Angeles operations as a result of recent labor actions by the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU).

Costas Xyloyiannis, HICX’s CEO, believes that supplier-centric brands are more resilient. With inflation hampering product sales and price rises, manufacturers have profits to protect. Many will react, as the sector has done for decades, by beating down suppliers on price. All this does though is bounce the problem around the supply chain. It drains suppliers of the resources they need to deliver vital enhancements—including supplies, information, and ideas—without which, brands are less competitive. So, how can they protect profits without being vulnerable to significant risks and open to new opportunities?

The Biden Administration says it sees no reason to intervene in the West Coast dockworkers’ dispute despite appeals from a growing number of shippers urging the Administration mediate the dispute between the Pacific Maritime Association (PMA) and the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) so as to bring the yearlong disruption of port operations to an end.

Manufacturers, businesses, and all organizations have had to constantly develop groundbreaking solutions to maintain the production of high-quality goods due to rising costs and limited access to raw materials, especially since the onset of the pandemic.

To supercharge the green shift, we need a clear zero-emissions target by 2050, a market-based levy on CO2 emissions and an improved set of efficiency measures, and as our industry’s global regulator the IMO is the body to do it – and fast. We no longer have the luxury of time, writes Norwegian Shipowners’ Association (NSA) CEO Harald Solberg.

The Pacific Maritime Association (PMA) says the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) “is staging concerted and disruptive work actions that have effectively shut down operations at some marine terminals” At West Coast Ports on June 2nd.