Operations at the adjoining ports of Los Angeles and Long
Beach are approaching “complete gridlock,” and crews will no longer be assigned
to load and unload cargo ships overnight at the two ports, according to the
Pacific Maritime Association.
The move is in response to actions set in motion by the
International Longshore & Warehouse Union, the PMA said Jan. 12.
The PMA, which has been engaged in contract negotiations
with the ILWU the past eight months, claims that the union has orchestrated a
situation that is seriously exacerbating congestion problems at the largest
ports on the West Coast.
“Since late October 2014, the ILWU has crippled what were
fully productive terminals in the Pacific Northwest and Oakland, and
exacerbated a difficult congestion issue at the ports of Los Angeles and Long
Beach by intentionally withholding dozens of essential skilled workers each
shift for the past 10 weeks,” the Maritime Association said in a statement.
On Jan. 5, the US Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service
said it was joining the talks to help both sides reach an agreement, however
the PMA says that even with federal help, talks have gone nowhere so far.
“Since the mediator joined the talks, no further agreements
have been reached and ILWU work slowdowns have continued to the point where
many terminals are in peril of complete gridlock,” according to the PMA.
The ILWU, however, contends that the congestion has been
caused by “managerial mistakes,” including a lack of dock space for containers
and shortages of chassis. The union also has criticized the cancelling night
shifts and reducing bulk operations, saying it will do nothing to ease congestion.
“The PMA appears to be abusing public ports and putting the
economy at risk in a self-serving attempt to gain the upper hand at the
bargaining table, and create the appearance of a crisis in order to score
points with politicians in Washington,” the union said in a Jan. 13 statement.
