West Coast Port Terminal To Close Monday As Disruptions Persist

By Alicia Diaz and Laura Curtis

Jun 4, 2023 (Bloomberg) –At least one terminal at the Port of Long Beach will be shut on Monday, seeming to extend disruptions that have hit several key US West Coast port terminals as dockworkers and their employers hold ongoing labor contract negotiations.

Total Terminals International, or TTI, at the Port of Long Beach has canceled operations Monday morning, according to a notice sent to truckers and posted on its website.

The Pacific Maritime Association, which represents ocean carriers and terminal operators, said that a West Coast dockworkers guild “effectively shut down some terminals across every major container gateway on the US West Coast” on Friday. 

Read more: Tensions Boil Over In West Coast Labor Talks

The Local 13 chapter of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union, a US West Coast dockworkers guild, said on Friday cargo operations at LA and Long Beach ports continue, but that members in Southern California have “taken it upon themselves to voice their displeasure with the ocean carriers’ and terminal operators’ position.” 

“Any reports that negotiations have broken down are false,” International President Willie Adams said in a statement. “We are getting there but it’s important to understand that West Coast dockworkers kept the economy going during the pandemic and lost their lives doing so.”

The ILWU, which represents about 22,000 dockworkers on the US West Coast, has been negotiating a new labor contract with the PMI since May last year. The previous contract expired on July 1, 2022. 

It isn’t clear whether all of the terminals impacted by Friday’s actions will resume operations Monday, though notices posted on several websites indicate plans to open as normal.

Fenix Marine Services at the Port of Los Angeles is set to open Monday morning, and the Oakland International Container Terminal says truck gates will open at 8 am. TraPac in Los Angeles and Oakland also plan to open truck gates at 7 am.

The Biden administration is facing calls from retailers and importers to intervene in the contract negotiation, which as dragged on for more than a year.  

© 2023 Bloomberg L.P.

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