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.
News
Institute for Supply Management
Economic activity in the manufacturing sector expanded in December for the 19th consecutive month, and the overall economy grew for the 67th consecutive month, say the nation’s supply executives in the latest Manufacturing ISM Report On Business.
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.
Almost six months since the contract expired between the Pacific Maritime Association (PMA) and the International Longshore & Warehouse Union (ILWU), one of the two parties is asking for a federal mediator.
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.
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.
A group of 166 trade associations is calling on President Obama to intervene in a labor fight that is threatening the flow of packages at ports along the West Coast.
The current contract between the union that represents West Coast port workers, the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) and Pacific Maritime Association (PMA), was supposed to expire in July, but negotiators have thus far been unable to agree to more than temporary extensions.
American Journal of Transportation
The Temporary Empty Container Depot on Pier S at the Port of Long Beach is scheduled to open Dec. 29. The depot was approved by the Long Beach Board of Harbor Commissioners in November to free up truck-trailer chassis and ease congestion on the docks at the second busiest seaport in North America.