The AgTC reports that today the PMA will provide the public with an update on the status of the contract negotiations. The press conference, scheduled to take place at 2pm PST, will not announce a lock-out or a settlement. Instead, the PMA will describe what it has offered to the ILWU and will also share data on how the slowdowns have impacted the West Coast.
We will provide more updates as soon as we receive them. Please feel free to contact us with any questions or comments you may have.
While many rumors have been circulating around the ILWU and PMA contract negotiations, one in particular has presented itself. Though it is not confirmed, and no formal announcement has been made, the AgTC reports there is a good possibility that there will be a shutdown of the West Coast terminals beginning sometime at the end of this week. This shutdown could expand into the weekend and lead to a complete lockout by next week.
The ILWU has advised that there will be a “stop work” meeting taking place this Thursday, meaning the terminals at Los Angeles/Long Beach are expected to be closed Thursday night, adding to the current backlog of shipments. A recent article from the Journal of Commerce documents the number of ships anchored off LA/LB ports and notes that vessels at anchor have been in the double digits since January 14, with no end in sight.
Due to worsening snow and ice conditions, many of the marine terminals at the Port of NY/NJ are ceasing inbound gate processing. Check with individual terminals for specific details and information on any free time provisions.
Additional icing is in the forecast for tonight as well. For that reason, all marine terminals in the Port of New York and New Jersey will have a delayed opening on Tuesday, February 3rd at 8:00 AM with the exception of GCT Bayonne which is planning to open at 6:00 AM.
A tentative agreement has been reached on the critical issue of chassis maintenance and repair. We have heard that the negotiations are finally moving forward, and we may actually see an agreement in the near future. At the same time, ILWU Local 8 did not work yesterday and Portland, Oregon, suffered terminal shutdowns due to this action.
The Northeast was hit by a huge snowstorm, but the ports of NY and NJ are expected to be up and running by Wednesday morning.
We will keep you posted on all port developments.
