There is no post-holiday lull for the twin ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles. The ports continue to experience congestion that delays shipment of goods through Inland Southern California to the rest of the nation. Lee Peterson, spokesman for the Port of Long Beach, estimated there is currently an average of six container ships waiting to get into the ports. Those ships are likely carrying clothing to go on sale around Easter and building supplies for spring construction projects, he said in a phone interview.
News / Global Logistics
With news coming this week that the Pacific Maritime Association (PMA) and the International Longshore & Warehouse Union (ILWU) will work with the U.S. Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service in hopes of helping the sides find a way to come to an agreement over stalled labor negotiations, what happens now remains to be seen.
Allison Beck, Acting Director of the U.S. Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service, issued the following statement today on the labor negotiations between the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) and Pacific Maritime Association (PMA):
The Acting Director of the U.S. Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service (Allison Beck) released a statement on Monday night indicating that both the ILWU (International Longshore Warehouse Union) and PMA (Pacific Maritime Association) have agreed to mediation assistance.
A federal mediator is stepping in help try to resolve a labor fight that is threatening the flow of packages at ports along the West Coast.
Longshore & Shipping News
The International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) said today that the PMA member carriers sitting on PMA’s Board of Directors need to come to the negotiating table so that direct and constructive dialogue between key decision makers can take place.
Brushing aside calls for federal mediation in prolonged contact talks with employers at 29 U.S. West Coast ports, the union for 20,000 dockworkers urged shipping executives on management’s board of directors to take a more active part in negotiations.
Brutal congestion at the nation’s busiest ports in Los Angeles and Long Beach is throwing a kink into an economy that’s finally kicking into high gear.
Logistics Management
As with any negotiation, a measure of compromise must be made by both bargaining members. By now, it has become clear that only one side is willing give a little in the protracted struggle between U.S. West Coast port management and dockside labor.
Cargo Business Newswire
The members lines of the Transpacific Stabilization Agreement recommended raising Asia-U.S. freight rates by at least $600 per-FEU starting Jan. 15 — a 26.6 percent increase over the current level.