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Pacific Maritime Association News

15 Jun 2023

Tentative US West Coast Port Contract Deal Reached

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The Longshore union and employers of 22,000 dockworkers at U.S. West Coast ports on Wednesday said they have reached a tentative deal on a new six-year contract, ending 13 months of talks and easing supply chain worries.The deal was reached with assistance from Acting U.S. Labor Secretary Julie Su, the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) and the Pacific Maritime Association (PMA) employer group said in a joint statement.President Joe Biden, who dispatched Su to the negotiations in San Francisco earlier this week…

13 Jun 2023

White House Says West Coast Port Negotiations Show Some Progress

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West Coast port employers and the union representing 22,000 workers have "overcome some sticking points" in tense labor talks that have entered their 13th month, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters on Tuesday.Acting U.S. Labor Secretary Julie Su is in San Francisco, where negotiations have been taking place, "meeting with all parties encouraging them to reach a resolution," Jean-Pierre said, adding that Su "has invaluable expertise working closely with these parties."Business groups are pressuring U.S.

11 Jun 2023

Cargo Operations Halt at the Port of Seattle Amid Labor Dispute

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PMA says US West Coast port workers shut down Port of Seattle; workers' union denies claimThe Pacific Maritime Association (PMA), which represents terminal operators, said in a tweet on Saturday that coordinated and disruptive work actions led by the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) have shut down cargo operations at the Port of Seattle."On the first shift today, the ILWU refused to dispatch any longshore workers to container terminals, the PMA said, resulting in the shutdown of the port.The ILWU…

09 Jun 2023

Business Group Urges Biden to Intervene in West Coast Ports Labor Dispute

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The largest U.S. business group on Friday urged President Joe Biden him to intervene immediately and appoint an independent mediator to address a West Coast ports labor dispute.More than 22,000 dockworkers at ports from California to Washington state have been working without a contract since July. U.S. Chamber of Commerce CEO Suzanne Clark in a letter to Biden cited "continued and potentially expanded service disruptions at these ports heading into peak shipping season."Tensions…

09 Jun 2023

Jobs at Stake as California Port Terminal Upgrades to Green Technology

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Unions hope a $30 million grant to electrify tractors in a Long Beach, California, port terminal's final push to become the world's first zero-emissions facility will serve as a bulwark against lost jobs in an era of energy transition and increasing automation. The money from U.S. President Joe Biden's administration for Long Beach Container Terminal's purchase of 60 electric yard tractors that haul shipping containers from stacks to waiting trains comes with strings attached…

07 Jun 2023

Biden Encourages Continued Collective Bargaining in US Ports Dispute

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U.S. President Joe Biden has urged both sides in the West Coast ports labor dispute to continue collective bargaining, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said on Wednesday, adding acting Labor Secretary Julie Su was actively engaging with the parties.The largest terminal at Southern California's Port of Long Beach closed for the day shift Monday as dock workers rallied for better pay. Monday's temporary closure followed similar disruptions on Friday in Oakland, California.

05 Jun 2023

Retailers, Manufacturers Urge White House to Mediate in West Coast Ports Labor Dispute

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Groups representing major retailers and manufacturers urged the White House on Monday to intervene in contentious West Coast port labor negotiations, citing worries about shipping disruptions during critical holiday shopping seasons.The call came after the largest terminal at Southern California's Port of Long Beach closed on Monday as dock workers rally for better pay. Monday's closure followed similar disruptions on Friday in Oakland, California.More than 22,000 dockworkers…

05 Jun 2023

US West Coast Port Labor Unrest Continues Amid Pay Quarrel

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The largest terminal at Southern California's Port of Long Beach closed on Monday as dockworkers who have been working without a contract since July rally for better pay.The Port of Long Beach is the second-busiest U.S. container terminal and a key trade gateway. Monday's closures followed similar disruptions on Friday in Oakland, California.Total Terminals International LLC (TTI) in a notice to customers said all appointments were canceled for the first gate shift. Mediterranean Shipping Company SA (MSC)…

20 Apr 2023

West Coast Port Union, Employers Reach Tentative Deal

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The International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) said on Thursday it had reached a tentative agreement with an association representing the U.S. West Coast employers of port laborers on some key issues.Negotiations over a new deal have dragged on for roughly a year since the contract between the Pacific Maritime Association (PMA) and the union expired on July 1, 2022.Any strike in the absence of a deal may prove costly as supply chain issues persist, and high inflation takes a toll on consumer spending…

13 Apr 2023

Employers Say Union is Disrupting Work at Southern California Seaports

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The Pacific Maritime Association on Thursday said the largest longshore union local on the West Coast disrupted work at the nation's busiest seaport complex for the second week in a row, as labor talks covering 22,000 dockworkers from California to Washington state approach the one-year mark.Frustration is growing over the lack of resolution in the talks, which started in May.

10 Apr 2023

Top US Shipping Gateway Mostly Closes Due to Port Worker Shortage

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A shortage of West Coast port workers has forced the busiest U.S.

27 Sep 2022

Seattle Dispute Disrupts US West Coast Port Labor Talks

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A work assignment dispute in Seattle is interrupting labor talks covering 29 U.S. West Coast ports and 22,000 employees that handle almost 40% of U.S. imports, the union representing dockworkers said on Tuesday.International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) and the Pacific Maritime Association (PMA) employer group have been negotiating a new contract since July 1. The ILWU's announcement on Tuesday comes after the two sides have traded jabs in the media about automation, another…

28 Jun 2022

Union Talks at West Coast Ports Going Well, US Labor Secretary Says

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Talks to reach a new contract with union workers at West Coast shipping ports before the existing deal expires this week are going well with no major sticking points, U.S. Labor Secretary Martin Walsh told Reuters on Tuesday.The current contract covering more than 22,000 port laborers at 29 West Coast ports expires on July 1. Retailers, farmers and other U.S. shippers worry that any breakdown in the often-contentious West Coast port labor talks will further disrupt cargo flows…

14 Jun 2022

US West Coast Port Union, Employers Say No Plan for Strike or Lockout

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The union and employers negotiating the contract for more than 22,000 port laborers on the U.S. West Coast on Tuesday said they are committed to reaching a deal and are not planning any work stoppages or lockouts that would worsen supply chain logjams.The International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) and the Pacific Maritime Association (PMA) employer group have been in negotiations since May.They said they do not expect to reach a deal before the high-stakes labor agreement…

10 May 2022

US Importers Turn to Prayer and the President Ahead of West Coast Port Labor Talks

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For more than two years, Isaac Larian has used every available tool to overcome global supply-chain bottlenecks and keep retailers stocked with enough Bratz and LOL Surprise! dolls to meet pandemic demand.Asked how he's preparing for this summer's West Coast port labor talks, the chief executive of Los Angeles-based MGA Entertainment deadpanned, "I'm praying two times a day."Larian and a half-dozen suppliers for major retailers like Walmart WMT.N, Amazon.com AMZN.O and Target…

01 Dec 2021

U.S. Labor Secretary Visits Top West Coast Ports as Union Talks Loom

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The U.S. labor secretary on Tuesday met with unions and employers at the nation's busiest port complex in Southern California as anxiety builds ahead of next year's contract negotiations covering roughly 22,000 West Coast dockworkers.The contract expires in July, and the stakes are particularly high at the Los Angeles/Long Beach port complex that handles some 40% of U.S. imports. Docks at the side-by-side ports are crowded with cargo boxes and more than four dozen container ships…

13 Oct 2021

White House Working to Ease Shipping Bottlenecks

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President Joe Biden will host a meeting on Wednesday to hail progress in addressing supply chain problems weighing on the economy and threatening the holiday season, while he asks business and union leaders to do more to ease shipping backlogs.The Port of Los Angeles is going to 24/7 operations to ease the shipping snarl there and at the Port of Long Beach, a senior administration official told reporters ahead of the meeting.In addition, three large carriers of goods - Walmart…

27 Jan 2020

Matson Promotes Three

(Photo: Matson)

U.S. carrier Matson announced it promoted three executives to the company's senior leadership team, effective immediately.Branton "Bal" Dreyfus, Vice President, Alaska, has been promoted to Senior Vice President, Alaska in recognition of Matson's growing scope of operations, continuing investment in and long-term commitment to serving Alaska. Dreyfus will continue to report directly to Matt Cox, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer.Capt. John "Jack" Sullivan, Vice President, Vessel Operations and Engineering…

29 Mar 2018

US Women Dockworkers Accuse Shippers, Union of Discrimination

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Four women dockworkers have filed federal discrimination claims against the shippers' association that runs 29 ports on the U.S. West Coast, saying they unfairly lost pay and seniority after becoming pregnant. Male dockworkers who temporarily left to serve in the armed forces got benefits denied to women on pregnancy leave, one of the workers, Tracy Plummer, said in an interview. Another woman with a complicated medical history said she tried to work during pregnancy for fear of losing seniority and suffered a miscarriage, according to her complaint.

24 Aug 2017

Alexander Acosta visits APM Terminals

APM Terminals Pier 400 Los Angeles hosted U.S. Secretary of Labor R. Alexander Acosta today, as he toured the world’s largest proprietary container terminal, and met with leadership officials of the International Longshoremen and Warehouse Union, (ILWU) and the Pacific Maritime Association (PMA) as his first official visit to an American port operation since being confirmed as a member of the Trump Cabinet in April this year. The Port of Los Angeles is America’s busiest container port, with traffic through the first seven months reflecting a 9.5% growth rate over last year’s port record of 8.8 million TEUs handled. Jim McKenna, CEO of the PMA and ILWU Vice President Ray Familathe addressed the group following welcoming remarks by APM Terminals Pier 400 Managing Director Steven Trombley…

05 Apr 2017

APM Could Exit Tacoma

APM Terminals Tacoma has received notification from Matson, Inc., its main customer, that Matson does not intend to renew its current terminal services agreement after its expiration on December 31, 2017. Accordingly, APM Terminals is evaluating all options with respect to its existing terminal lease, which is currently set to expire on December 31, 2017. The terminal, with 12 employees, became part of the Maersk Group portfolio with the acquisition of US-based Sea-Land Service by Maersk Line in 2000. The 600,000 TEU annual throughput capacity facility was used primarily by the Matson Alaska Service, with twice-weekly sailings between Tacoma, Anchorage and Kodiak, and a weekly service between Tacoma and Dutch Harbor, handling approximately 190,000 TEUs in 2016.

27 Sep 2016

US West Coast Dockworkers, Shippers to Talk Contract Extension

Photo: Port of Long Beach

Major cargo shippers and the union representing dockworkers at 29 U.S. West Coast ports have agreed to talks on a possible extension of their current contract, which is set to expire in mid-2019, the two sides said in a joint statement on Tuesday. Negotiators for the Pacific Maritime Association (PMA) and the International Longshore and Warehouse Union tentatively plan to meet on Nov. 1-2 to discuss the proposal, which comes about 19 months after a contract settlement that capped months of labor strife and shipping disruptions at the ports.

09 May 2016

Container Shipping Demand Weakens

The demand for container shipping is really not going anywhere at the moment. Indicators for growth in the first months of 2016 point to limited overall demand and huge variations from trade to trade. In addition, all numbers are impacted by Chinese New Year, which disrupts most trade figures for the first months of any year. BIMCO’s own data for the United States (US) imports on the east coast shows an increase of 6.5%, a significant rise even above the strong level seen in 2015. The west coast imports of loaded containers are only impressive in comparison with the very poor volumes seen in 2015. These were impacted heavily by the conflict between the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) and the Pacific Maritime Association (PMA) which clogged up the main ports.