Negotiations will continue on a new labor contract for the more than 22,000 workers at U.S. West Coast ports.
Reuters says industry leaders and the White House are watching the high-stakes talks closely. The agreement will include 29 Pacific Coast ports from California up to Washington state, ports that bring in up to 40 percent of America’s imports.
The Pacific Maritime Association employer group and the International Longshore and Warehouse Union said in a joint statement that cargo will keep moving at the ports until an agreement can get reached. However, Pete Tirschwell of S&P Global Market Intelligence says, “When the contract expired, so did the ‘no strike’ clause.”
More than 150 business groups asked President Biden to push for a swift resolution. Agriculture groups and others business organizations are watching the negotiations with concern after the last West Coast port labor contract negotiations broke down in 2015 after nine months.
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