Port Traffic Up But Under Control
August is expected to be smooth sailing for container traffic at the nation’s ports. However, retailers are keeping a close watch on a possible longshore workers’ strike at the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach.
Container traffic is expected to hit record numbers in August, with the major ports handling 1.54 million 20-foot containers, up 3.4 percent from last August, according to the National Retail Federation in Washington, D.C. Container traffic will be up 1.4 percent in September and 3.9 percent in October, the busiest shipping month of the year.
Meanwhile, the office clerks who process shipping documents at the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach for 17 shipping companies are threatening to strike if negotiations on a new three-year contract break down.
The 930 members of Local 63A of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union have been working without a contract since it expired at midnight June 30. The clerks, who process bills of lading, take container bookings and set up intermodal container moves, have authorized a strike if contract negotiations fail, said John Fageaux Jr., the local’s president.
If a strike occurs, it would be honored by other longshore workers who would not cross the picket line, creating a major traffic jam of ships waiting for their cargo to be unloaded.
Some progress has been made in the negotiations, Fageaux said. After talking until the early morning hours of July 4, the two sides agreed that the union would have its own representation on the trusts for health benefits and employee pensions.
The negotiations recessed for a few days and were scheduled to resume at 1 p.m. on July 6, when issues such as wages, health benefits, pensions and outsourcing will be discussed. “I’m hoping it won’t take more than a couple of days [to finish],” Fageaux said.
—Deborah Belgum
