Congestion at West Coast ports is getting even worse
The seasonal rush is over and federal mediators are in San Francisco to help settle a contract dispute between shippers and longshoremen.
[...] it’s getting worse.
There are more container ships sitting in the bay, more trucks waiting in line outside terminal gates, and more local businesses losing customer orders.
The International Longshore and Warehouse Union, representing 20,000 dockworkers at those ports, “has crippled what were fully productive terminals” at Oakland and other West Coast ports, the Pacific Maritime Association, which represents shipping lines and terminal operators, said Monday.
The International Longshore Union responded that the PMA is “making nonsensical moves ... creating gridlock in a cynical attempt to turn public opinion against workers.”
According to the Port of Oakland Tuesday, 10 to 15 ships “are anchored in San Francisco Bay daily awaiting berths at Oakland marine terminals.”
“What we the truckers need to know (is) why do we have to go through (what) I would say torture,” the operations manager of an East Bay trucking company e-mailed the terminal operator last week.
Quite the reverse, says the ILWU, pointing to a management proposal to cut shifts, worsening congestion that was already a problem due to the lack of space and the shortage of chassis.
[...] back at the bargaining table, tentative agreements have reportedly been reached on health care benefits and pay guarantees, said the association.
While the two sides disagree on how much West Coast longshoremen actually earn, “the pay is very good for blue-collar work, but also extremely dangerous with fatality rates that exceed those of police and firefighters,” ILWU spokesman Craig Merrilees said last week.