Fix Next Summer’s Supply Chain Problems Now

Fix Next Summer’s Supply Chain Problems Now

Share to Linkedin Prior contract negotiations between the Pacific Maritime Association, representing shipping employers, and the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU), representing West Coast port workers, resulted in months of slowdowns and hundreds of millions of dollars in losses. During past negotiations, in 2002, 2008, and 2014, agricultural producers saw exports rotting on the docks and consumers waited months for shipments. Sound familiar? Rules governing union contracts affect port congestion. In today's supply chain woes, East Coast ports such as Miami, Savannah, and Charleston have fewer backups than ports in Los Angeles, Long Beach, and Oakland. Ports on the East Coast and Gulf Coast are represented by the International Longshoremen's Association (ILA), and do not have the same regular problems with contract renewals. In addition, Florida, Georgia, and South Carolina are right-to-work states, where workers do not have to join unions as a condition of employment. Next summer's big fight will be about automation. In a press release, ILWU Local 94 President Danny Miranda said, "any efforts to automate port terminals for the primary purpose of increased offshore corporate profits comes at a cost that our local communities and country cannot afford." ILWU Local 63 President Mike Podue, who