International Transport Workers' Federation (ITF) supports ILWU member clerical workers in Ports of Los Angeles & Long Beach.
ITF ramps up its support after employers walked out of negotiations over the weekend, despite the union's offer to enter into marathon bargaining to resolve the dispute.
Referring to the events of Saturday night, ITF acting general secretary Stephen Cotton said: “The ILWU wants to bargain for an agreement to reopen the ports and end the strike but apparently the employers are not committed to doing what it takes to achieve a resolution. The ITF strongly condemns such unprofessional conduct, which harms the port and its working communities. We support the ILWU and are following up this dispute at every level.”
The latest report from the affected ports indicates that the situation in Los Angeles/Long Beach remains largely unchanged. At the moment there is no resolution to the strike. The SSA Terminals are open because of a contract negotiated previously with the OCU but all other terminals are closed.
There are a number of vessels docked at the closed facilities that will not discharge until the strike is resolved, numerous vessels are anchored and waiting for resumption of terminal activities, and it is suspected that four vessels are being diverted to Mexico for discharge. None of the carriers have announced plans for a congestion surcharge but it is expected that additional surcharges will be levied.