Labor dispute snarls West Coast ports; White House urged to step in
A deepening standoff between dockworkers and port operators has snarled some of the nation’s most crucial import hubs, a dispute that has drawn the attention of the Biden administration as it scrambles to contain work stoppages.
Portions of the ports at Los Angeles, Long Beach, Oakland, and Seattle — gateways for container ships that bring imports from Asia — have intermittently shuttered or slowed in recent days as the International Longshore and Warehouse Union and Pacific Maritime Association, which represents port operators, try to work out a new contract.
The US economy’s import supply chains run through a system that involves ships, trains, and trucks, and even the slightest disruption can have major spillover effects.
The disruptions are a more subdued version of the supply chain turmoil that took hold early in the pandemic and rattled the global economy. Many of those issues have been resolved, in part, because shippers — anticipating potential labor problems — have diverted cargoes to alternative ports on the East and Gulf coasts.
The union and port employers have mostly settled issues related to port automation and benefits, but they remain far apart on pay, according to two people briefed on the negotiations. Acting Labor Secretary Julie Su has had near-daily conversations with negotiators to try to end the standoff, the people said.
More than 22,000 dockworkers at 29 ports along the West Coast have been working without a contract since July. With no deal in place, several West Coast ports have experienced intermittent closures.