CSCMP’s Supply Chain
April 7, 2023
Ben Ames
A dockworker walkout that shut down the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach yesterday is expected to continue through the Easter weekend as contract renewal talks deteriorate, but its trade impact could be muted by a recent slump in West Coast container volumes.
The twin West Coast ports closed on Thursday evening, citing a manpower shortage. Industry sources called the work stoppage a “concerted action” taken by the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) in relation to labor talks that have been ongoing since May, 2022, Kansas-based Noatum Logistics said today.
The stoppage may have major impacts on inventory flows, but it did not come as a surprise, and some logistics companies have been preparing for this event for months. Import and export companies have been closely tracking negotiations ever since the contract between the ILWU and the Pacific Maritime Association (PMA) that represents the interests of ocean carriers and terminal operators expired in July 2022.
Read the full article here.
