West Coast Port Status
The contract expires at 5:00pm PDT today and both sides have agreed to keep negotiating past this deadline. Disruption is not expected – at least not yet.
The congestion at the ports seems to be a result of the shortage of chasis NOT due to work slowdowns.
JOC and Read here and read more.
The PMA (Pacific Maritime Association) has said
“that labor peace is essential to keeping West Coast ports competitive..”
National Association of Manufacturers and the National Retail Federation said in a report:
“If operations are shuttered for an extended period, the detrimental economic impact would be significant and widespread”
Read more at FOX
For the union (ILWU):
Wages, safety, jurisdiction and health care seem to be the main topics under discussion. In past, wages and safety issues were usually resolved with little conflict. From JOC:
Jurisdiction, however, is becoming more important because technology and automation are changing the workplace environment, with some jobs being eliminated and other jobs being created that require special skill sets.
Both sides, ILWU and PMA are struggling with the Cadillac tax that will take effect 2018. As result, they have the option of negotiating a three-year contract and leaving it to the negotiations in 2017 to be resolved. The tax is projected to cost the industry $150 million a year
Read more: JOC
To keep abreast of the latest information regarding the potential dock strike or related news:
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