Seattle Port Shutdown Leaves Cargo ‘Idle at the Docks’: PMA
Another West Coast port is feeling the impacts of labor negotiations that don’t appear to have an ending in sight.
On Saturday, the Pacific Maritime Association (PMA) said the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) shut down cargo operations at the Port of Seattle.
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“On the second and third shift [Friday], work slowdowns directed by ILWU officials brought ground operations at marine terminals to a halt, resulting in longshore workers being sent home,” said PMA, which represents 70 ocean carriers and terminal operators at the West Coast ports. “On the first shift [Saturday], the ILWU refused to dispatch any longshore workers to container terminals. As a result, the Port of Seattle is currently shut down, leaving American exports sitting idle at the docks.”
The ILWU had a different story, with union president Willie Adams refuting the association’s claim.
“Despite what you are hearing from PMA, West Coast ports are open as we continue to work under our expired collective bargaining agreement,” Adams said, without specifically mentioning Seattle by name.
The union, which represents more than 22,000 longshore workers at 29 U.S. West Coast ports, accused the PMA of “using the media to leverage one-sided information in attempt to influence the process.”
The Port of Seattle and The Northwest Seaport Alliance did not immediately return Sourcing Journal’s request for comment on the port’s current status, or when it is reopening.
Dockworkers have been working without a contract since the prior collective bargaining agreement expired July 1, 2022, amid calls for increases in wages, improved health benefits and concerns about the use of automation. But the longer the ILWU and PMA stay fail to reach a deal, the likelier disruptions at the gateways will continue. This could have wide-ranging economic implications, as West Coast ports account for roughly 12 percent of the nation’s gross domestic product (GDP), the PMA said.
The first week of June brought stoppages across terminals as workers no-showed for shifts at California ports in Los Angeles, Long Beach, Oakland and Hueneme, as well as the Washington hubs of Seattle and Tacoma.
The PMA blamed the ILWU for the shutdowns, saying the union declined to dispatch “lashers” who secure cargo for trans-Pacific voyages. In a statement Friday, the association said, “without this vital function, ships sit idle and cannot be loaded or unloaded, leaving American exports sitting at the docks unable to reach their destination.”
The port disruption in Oakland, Los Angeles and Long Beach alone has resulted in more than $5.2 billion worth of cargo stuck at sea, according to a CNBC report citing data from container shipment tracker Vizion.
Seattle has played a unique role in the ILWU-PMA negotiations due to a jurisdictional dispute regarding the right to conduct maintenance and repair work at one of its terminals. While the dispute itself is between two unions—the ILWU and the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers—it is likely a point of contention holding up the PMA negotiations.
The unions have been litigating the dispute, with the National Labor Relations Board in April 2023 ruling against the ILWU.
The Seattle shutdown came a day after new calls for federal intervention into the labor negotiations. In a letter sent to President Joe Biden, U.S. Chamber of Commerce CEO Suzanne Clark emphasized the need for the administration to assign an independent mediator to help the two parties reach an agreement.
“A serious work stoppage at the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach would likely cost the U.S. economy nearly half a billion dollars a day—and a more widespread strike along the West Coast could cost approximately $1 billion per day,” the letter reads. “The economic costs of a dispute that results in a port closure would be devastating to consumers and businesses, which are already enduring historically high levels of inflation.”
The Chamber of Commerce follows trade associations including the National Retail Federation, the Retail Industry Leaders Association and the National Association of Manufacturing in urging the White House to get both parties to the negotiating table.
Labor strife at the West Coast ports also extends north of the border. On June 5, ILWU Canada authorized its local longshore branches to conduct a strike vote on Friday and Saturday. The results of the poll have not been released, and the union cannot officially say it’s going on strike until at least June 24.
The last five-year contract, which expired March 31, covered more than 7,400 longshore workers and foremen at the Ports of Vancouver and Price Rupert.
The ports present an alternative route for U.S. shippers looking to bring cargo into the U.S. Midwest, as there are direct rail links that can route cargo from the Canadian coast to Chicago and beyond.
