West Coast Status Update February 2015

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. In addition, local reports advise 35 ships at berth, 23 ships at anchor, and 40 vessels drifting off the West Coast, as displayed in the image below.
The contract negotiations are still ongoing, and while we reported progress on the chassis issue last week, there has been little news since that time. The JOC also reported, “A group of 84 members of Congress have sent a letter urging the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) and Pacific Maritime Association (PMA) pressing them to agree to a contract soon. ‘Our constituents are losing business, letting employees go, and worrying about the future, as trade supports over 38 million jobs across the country, we strongly urge your organizations to reach an agreement because the inability to reach consumers outside our borders impacts jobs here at home,’ stated the letter , which was organized by Reps. Dave Reichert, R-Wash., and Kurt Schrader, D-Ore.”
We encourage you to contact your congressional representatives and let them know the impact on your business. WSSA will continue to join with industry groups to keep the pressure on the various parties who have an impact on the process, and we will continue to assist in any re-routing of cargo and finding alternative solutions to meet your import and export needs.