Dockworkers to suspend strike. Will it still affect the West Coast ports?

After three days of striking, nearly 50,000 dockworkers in charge of unloading the ships along the Gulf Coast and East Coast, along with the United States Maritime Alliance (USMX), representing the major shipping lines, terminal operators, and port authorities, reached a tentative agreement.

So far, the agreement has been only on wages. This is an extension of the master contract effective until January 15, 2025, when they will return to the bargaining table to negotiate all other outstanding issues, including automation. 

“Effective immediately, all current job actions will cease and all work covered by the Master Contract will resume,” said the International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) in a statement Thursday afternoon. 

However, this hasn’t stopped people across the nation from panicking. Since the strike started on Tuesday, social media and traditional news have shown images of people hoarding vital products such as toilet paper and water. 

The Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach said they are not being affected. One reason is that workers belong to different unions.

Port of Los Angeles Executive Director Gene Seroka said all terminals are currently operating normally. So far, the changes the Port of LA has seen a 17% increase in volume compared to last year. 

“The third quarter ended on Monday and we expect it to be the busiest on record in our 116-year history,” Seroka said via email. “In Los Angeles, we’ve seen more and more cargo over the last several months, in part due to East and Gulf Coast labor concerns.”

He made it clear, however, that American consumers, businesses, farmers and many others need all U.S. ports fully operational in order to support the economy. 

The Port of Los Angeles is the busiest container port in North America, maintaining an efficient and sustainable supply chain with new technology to improve the efficiency of flow cargo. 

Seroka said ship containers are moving in record volumes efficiently. Until now, they have not experienced back-ups such as the ones that occurred during the pandemic, and they feel prepared to handle any additional volume. 

Meanwhile, Port of Long Beach Chief Executive Officer Mario Cordero said the port is monitoring the situation closely with ocean carriers, terminal operators, railroads, equipment providers, labor and industry partners. They are ready to help, if needed, to keep the national supply chain operational. 

“We are prepared to activate the Port’s Business Recovery Task Force for the duration of any increased congestion or impediments to the movement of cargo due to any work stoppage,” said Cordero. 

Products not affected by strike

While the dockworkers strike had shut down 14 ports from Maine to Texas, experts indicate market products such as toilet paper, meat and breakfast cereal won’t be affected because they are produced in the United States, Michigan State University professor Jason Miller told CBS News.

The American Forest & Paper Association, a trade group for the paper and wood product industry, said in a statement that about 85% of U.S. tissue paper, such as toilet paper, paper towels, napkins and facial tissue, is supplied by the U.S. 

The American Farm Bureau Federation, representatives of the agricultural industry, stated there could be a shortage of some fresh fruit like bananas, seafood and alcoholic beverages. 

ILA dock workers were striking for better wages and to stop automation. They want to bring a halt to  the existence of driverless trucks and mechanical cranes and gates that don’t require humans to move the goods from the container ships. They also demanded a pay of $39 per hour for longshoremen.