Lack of stevedores closes two California ports



Los Angeles (AFP) – Two of the busiest ports in the United States closed on Friday because not enough stevedores showed up for work, a shipping representative announced.


The closure in the western state of California is part of a long dispute between shipping companies and the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) focused on wages and job automation.


"The largest local ILWU chapter on the West Coast took joint action to retain labor at the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, which has led to widespread labor shortages," a statement from the Maritime Association of the United States said. Pacific, the group that represents carriers.


"The workers who did show up for work were released because the full staff of ILWU members were not there to operate the terminals," the note added.


The carriers specified that the union's action resulted in the closure "in effect of the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, the largest gateway for maritime commerce in the United States."


But the ILWU insisted that the only ones not showing up for work were those who observed Good Friday for religious practice.


"Cargo operations continue while port operators remain at their jobs," the union said in a statement.


The two ports, known as the San Pedro Bay Port Complex, move some 20 million containers of goods worth more than $300 billion each year.


The complex is the ninth largest port in the world by market share, according to port figures, and plays a key role in keeping global supply chains moving.


During the Covid-19 pandemic, ports around the world were clogged as carriers struggled to keep up with demand for goods, a problem that persisted as countries reopened their borders and businesses.


Economists say slow shipment backlogs have contributed to the inflation that has dominated much of the world for the past 18 months as consumers demand products that don't arrive fast enough.

way deep apparatus lane prosper tribe seller quaint sweet exhibition rehearsal index authorise Bible output

CONVERSATION

0 comments:

Post a Comment

Back
to top