We got the following article sent in to us from our USA offices:

 

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BREAKING NEWS: As of 2PM PST, 4 terminals servicing 11 carriers in LAX/LGB have been shut down all day due to a walkout by the ILWU. We will provide a further update on Monday, November 10.
Congestion in the two largest ports in the United States, Los Angeles and Long Beach, has not improved, and if anything has worsened during the course of this week.

Yesterday, the PMA (Pacific Maritime Association) put out a press release claiming that the ILWU is staging a slowdown in the ports, making a bad situation worse. Click here to see the press release. Over the past month, the congestion in the LA/LB ports has become a huge problem to all parties in the supply chain due to:
   • Lack of available chassis in good order
• Extremely high pre-holiday import volumes
• Length of time needed to unload the huge-ships now coming into these ports
• Lack of available drivers to pull and deliver containers
• Unofficial labor slowdowns by the ILWU, who are still operating without a contract
All of the above have combined into a “perfect storm” and has resulted in delays ranging from days to weeks in cargo availability.

On top of that, the ports of Seattle and Tacoma have been nearly completely shut down due to a severe slowdown by the ILWU that began early this week. Click here to see the PMA press release.

Yesterday, the National Retail Foundation submitted a letter to the White House seeking assistance from the government in mediating the labor dispute. Click here to see the letter.

We will continue to keep you advised of all developments in this ongoing situation as they occur.

 

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