On July 1, 2002 at 5pm, the labor contract between the International Longshoreman and Warehouseman's Union (ILWU) and the Pacific Maritime Association (PMA), the negotiating body for carriers serving the following seven U.S. West Coast ports, expires. The ports operations that would be effected include Seattle, Tacoma, Portland, Oakland, San Francisco, Long Beach, and Los Angeles.
In the event a strike does occur, BDP Transport and BDP International are preparing to keep clients and trade partners up to date on the status and impact. Working closely with all of our sources, we will be issuing “BDP Alerts” through system-wide e-mail messages, the BDPInternational.com web site and our new BDPCustomer.com portal, as relevant information becomes available.
If there is a work stoppage, the Federal government can be expected to intervene after 10 days, by mandate under the Taft-Hartley Act. Taft-Hartley provides for a court-ordered injunction and an 80-day cooling off period. In effect, both sides would be ordered back to work and to resume negotiations guided by non-binding arbitration during the 80-day period.
Import Customers Reposition Containers Now:
We recommend that our import customers take immediate steps to reposition import containers presently at the ports outlined above, as well as newly arriving containers. By taking immediate action, you will avoid the danger of stranding valuable cargo should a strike occur.
Export Customers Re-Route Your Export Shipments:
We also recommend that all export shipments destined for the Far East be re-routed over U.S. East Coast Ports, effective immediately, to prevent any delays during this potential work stoppage.
The following web sites are among the on-line venues where periodic updates will also be posted:
Journal of Commerce On-line - www.joc.com
Pacific Maritime Association - www.pmanet.org
West Coast Waterfront Coalition - www.portmod.org
Please contact your local BDP office to address questions specific to how this possible work stoppage could impact your international freight movements.
Thank you.
Wayne Schmidt
President,
BDP Transport
Bob Stewart
Director, Import Operations
BDP Transport
E-Mail:bstewart@bdpnet.com
