The good news: Cargo numbers are rising at the Port of Los Angeles.
But the bad news is that attention remains riveted on what is the bogged-down 13-month-long longshore contract negotiations that have disrupted some cargo patterns and continue to pose a threat to business at the LA and Long Beach ports.
POLA Executive Director Gene Seroka addressed the current state of the port on Tuesday, June 13, when he provided May’s cargo numbers and talked about how the ongoing labor talks are impacting operations.
The stalemate has ramped up concerns at the 29 affected West Coast ports and this week drew acting Secretary of Labor Julie Su to San Francisco, where talks are being held.
Su arrived on Monday, Seroka said at his monthly virtual news conference, and remained there as of Tuesday.
The two sides, Seroka said, reportedly remain far apart on the issue of a wage increase.
“These past couple weeks have been challenging and, at times, confusing,” Seroka said of the discord between the International Longshore and Warehouse Union and the Pacific Maritime Association. “There have been claims and counter-claims.”
The PMA, representing employers, have said continued work disruptions are being carried out by the union, though ILWU officials have denied that.
“From my vantage point,” Seroka said, “this is what an impasse and bargaining looks like.”
He also said, however, that the port has “only had a handful of bad days.”
These negotiations, which began May 10, 2022, have gone on longer than any Seroka said he can remember.
“We’re running at about 70% of capacity,” he said of the port terminals, adding that some cargo is still being moved to the Gulf and East coasts by clients who say they are “very concerned about any kind of disruption” related to the protracted negotiations.
Still, Seroka said, the port has been “largely able to operate close to normal.”
Su, Seroka said, is “collaborating with both sides to make sure…
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