Los Angeles port: Clerical Union strike – will they or won’t they?

July 25, 2007 by SwizStick  
Filed under Seafreight, Supply Chain Management

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The latest news from the media is mostly negative. The Journal of Commerce / Pacific Shipper supposedly has an article behind their subscription wall quoting the lead negotiator for the union stating that it’s just a matter of deciding when and where they’ll place their pickets.

However, the overall message I am getting from my contacts in the industry still state that both sides are eager to avoid a shutdown, and hopes remain that a deal will be done.

I’m not sure who to believe, it’s a mixed bag of messages out there no matter who you talk to, but check with your carriers and logistics providers to see if they have any contingency plans in place should a strike or work shutdown occur. Of equal worry is the chance that ILWU and clerical union members at other West Coast ports will stage their own slowdowns or work stoppages to show their solidarity with the clerical union. So there’s the chance that cargo routed through other ports could be affected as well. Unfortunately, until we know the final outcome, it’s difficult to make concrete plans, but at the very least all parties in the supply chain should be having discussions about what to do in case of a strike.

Update: Los Angeles port strike averted – union agrees to final offer

Port clerical union negotiations continue today

Rough day in Oakland – clouds on the horizon?

Will airport unions in the UK shut down airports during January?