Longshore labor

News and analysis of longshore labor, contracts, safety, strikes, disruption

The latest Longshore labor News & Analysis

ILWU ratifies new labor contract with West Coast waterfront employers

Bill Mongelluzzo, Senior Editor | Aug 31, 2023, 7:09 PM EDT

Some 75% of union members participating in the vote agreed to ratify the tentative contract that was reached in mid-June, opening the door to labor peace at West Coast ports at least through mid-2028.
Longshore laborContainer shippingContainer linesMarine terminalsNorth American ports

US shippers should begin planning now for potential 2024 disruptions: analyst

Lars Jensen, CEO & Partner, Vespucci Maritime, and JOC Analyst | Aug 23, 2023, 1:54 PM EDT

In addition to the typical annual planning, such as for budgets and freight rates, US importers need to start weighing contingency plans for two potentially disruptive occurrences next year — continued low-water levels along the Panama Canal and the expiration of the International Longshoremen’s Association contract, writes Lars Jensen.
Container shippingContainer linesLongshore laborNorth American portsInternational ports

Western Canadian cargo flow returning to normal following labor agreement

Bill Mongelluzzo, Senior Editor | Aug 16, 2023, 5:25 PM EDT

Ports of Vancouver and Prince Rupert are clearing out the backlog of containers that built up during the two weeks of dockworker strikes in July, with no significant vessel, rail or trucking delays to report, according to stakeholders.
North American portsMarine terminalsLongshore labor

ILA flexes to fight on multiple beachheads

Michael Angell, Associate Editor | Aug 11, 2023, 11:04 AM EDT

Sources say USMX has made the ILA an offer on par with the increases the ILWU secured in its latest contract. However, the ILA also wants stronger protections for work jurisdiction and automation.
Longshore laborContainer shippingContainer linesNorth American ports

Ongoing office worker contract talks the lynchpin to West Coast labor peace

Bill Mongelluzzo, Senior Editor | Aug 9, 2023, 2:35 PM EDT

Negotiators for shipping lines and office workers in Los Angeles-Long Beach report that progress is being made in the ILWU Local 63 Office Clerical Unit (OCU) contract negotiations, but the two sides have work to do on the issues of wages, pension benefits and technology.
MaritimePortsLongshore laborNorth American ports

ILA seeks arbitration with carriers in new Leatherman suit

Michael Angell, Associate Editor, and Teri Griffis, Associate Editor | Aug 7, 2023, 5:01 PM EDT

The latest lawsuit from International Longshoremen’s Association ups the damages the union is seeking from ocean carriers that used the Port of Charleston’s Hugh K. Leatherman terminal.
Longshore laborContainer linesNorth American ports

ILWU Canada contract ratification ensures BC port peace

Mark Szakonyi, Executive Editor | Aug 6, 2023, 9:39 AM EDT

The disruption laid bare the limits the Trudeau government will exercise to push both sides to a deal that was ratified Friday by longshore union membership at the ports of Vancouver and Prince Rupert.
Longshore laborContainer shippingContainer linesTrans-PacificNorth American portsTransport, trade and regulation

Western Canada port operations normal as next union contract vote looms

Bill Mongelluzzo, Senior Editor | Jul 31, 2023, 3:59 PM EDT

Negotiators for ILWU Canada and waterfront employers reached a second tentative contract agreement late Sunday after the union’s membership rejected an initial deal that had been struck last week.
MaritimeLongshore laborNorth American ports

ILWU Canada’s contract rejection thrusts BC ports in limbo

Mark Szakonyi, Executive Editor | Jul 29, 2023, 8:37 AM EDT

The membership of the International Longshore Warehouse Union Canada has rejected a four-year contract at the ports of Vancouver and Prince Rupert, which employers say would have included a 19.2%. compounded wage increase.
Longshore laborContainer shippingTrans-PacificNorth American portsTransport, trade and regulation

Court denies SC Ports appeal of Leatherman ruling

Michael Angell, Associate Editor | Jul 28, 2023, 5:12 PM EDT

The latest decision upheld an initial ruling by the National Labor Relations Board that allowed the International Longshoremen’s Association to sue ocean carriers that called Charleston’s Leatherman terminal.
Longshore laborContainer shippingContainer linesNorth American ports

Local issues stymie movement on new master contract between ILA, USMX

Michael Angell, Associate Editor | Jul 27, 2023, 11:50 AM EDT

Only local unions at the ports of New York and New Jersey and Baltimore have come to tentative terms on local issues, with the ILA’s chief negotiator saying employers in other ports “have not taken the talks seriously.”
Longshore laborContainer shippingNorth American ports

New Jersey port stakeholders say state police ready for oversight task

Michael Angell, Associate Editor | Jul 25, 2023, 4:55 PM EDT

Maritime employers expect New Jersey State Police oversight of longshore hiring in the state will be easier and less burdensome than it was under the soon-to-be dissolved Waterfront Commission.
North American portsMarine terminalsLongshore labor

ILA chief calls for global union fight against port, maritime automation

Michael Angell, Associate Editor | Jul 25, 2023, 9:56 AM EDT

The president of the International Longshoremen’s Association says automation and new technology are an existential threat to union members and other maritime employees worldwide.
Longshore laborContainer linesMarine terminalsNorth American ports

ILWU Canada caucus approves tentative deal; membership vote expected this week

Bill Mongelluzzo, Senior Editor | Jul 24, 2023, 10:10 AM EDT

The rollercoaster developments of the past three weeks, which began with a 13-day strike by ILWU Canada on July 1, have disrupted cargo handling at Vancouver, Canada’s largest port and a gateway to US and Canadian markets.
MaritimePortsLongshore laborNorth American ports

UPDATE: Western Canada longshore workers retract notice of Saturday strike

Mark Szakonyi, Executive Editor | Jul 20, 2023, 12:18 PM EDT

The rejection of last week’s tentative contract deal by a caucus of ILWU Canada narrows the prospects of a resolution without one imposed by Parliament through back-to-work legislation.
Longshore laborTrans-PacificNorth American portsTransport, trade and regulation

Longshore labor unrest a new daily fact of life for North American shippers

Peter Tirschwell | Jul 19, 2023, 3:42 PM EDT

Part of the new dynamic on the waterfront reflects wider transportation labor activism where rail, aviation, trucking and longshore workers have achieved or are seeking to achieve substantial enhancements in pay and work rules, writes Peter Tirschwell.
Longshore laborContainer linesMarine terminalsNorth American ports

Post-strike recovery for western Canadian ports measured in weeks, not days: sources

Bill Mongelluzzo, Senior Editor | Jul 14, 2023, 4:29 PM EDT

Forwarders, shipping lines and trucking interests are advising their customers it will take weeks — possibly into September — for operations at Prince Rupert and Vancouver to return to normal.
MaritimePortsLongshore laborNorth American ports

New Jersey union claims ILA blocked it from terminal construction project

Michael Angell, Associate Editor | Jul 14, 2023, 9:25 AM EDT

A union of construction equipment operators in New Jersey alleges the International Longshoremen’s Association sought to take away marine terminal work it was hired to perform.
Longshore laborNorth American ports

Western Canada port strike ends after deal reached on tentative four-year contract

JOC Staff | Jul 13, 2023, 5:15 PM EDT

The end of the strike comes less than two days after Canada’s Minister of Labour ordered the federal mediator overseeing negotiations between the union and employers to provide recommendations for a settlement.
Longshore laborNorth American ports

Canada’s Minister of Labour intervenes in bid to end dockworker strike

Bill Mongelluzzo, Senior Editor | Jul 12, 2023, 5:30 PM EDT

If ILWU Canada or longshore employers reject the recommendations of a federal mediator, the next step will be for the Canadian government to reconvene Parliament, which is on summer recess, to address the situation.
MaritimePortsLongshore laborNorth American ports

ILA Charleston protest aims to up ante on expanded work jurisdiction

Teri Errico Griffis, Associate Editor | Jul 12, 2023, 11:59 AM EDT

The International Longshoremen’s Association says it is willing to wait as long as it takes to control the jobs it believes belong to the union at South Carolina’s new Leatherman terminal.
Longshore laborMaritimePortsNorth American ports

Western Canada dockworker strike disrupting billions in trade: employers

Bill Mongelluzzo, Senior Editor | Jul 11, 2023, 3:49 PM EDT

With the strike by ILWU Canada now in its 11th day, some C$7.5 billion in Canadian imports and exports has been compromised thus far, the British Columbia Maritime Employers Association says.
MaritimePortsLongshore laborNorth American ports

Trans-Pacific carriers altering port rotations to avoid strike-hit Vancouver

Bill Mongelluzzo, Senior Editor | Jul 10, 2023, 4:08 PM EDT

ILWU Canada and employers are engaging with federal mediators as a backlog of vessels builds outside of Vancouver and Seattle-Tacoma as the Western Canadian dockworker strike enters its second week.
MaritimePortsLongshore laborNorth American ports

Impact of BC port strike could deepen without Ottawa's intervention

Bill Mongelluzzo, Senior Editor | Jul 6, 2023, 4:54 PM EDT

The strike by ILWU Canada, which entered its sixth day Thursday, is expected to have an increasing impact on Canada’s trans-Pacific trades if it drags into next week and beyond.
MaritimePortsLongshore laborNorth American ports

Vancouver, Prince Rupert face protracted port strike as talks stalemate

Mark Szakonyi, Executive Editor | Jul 4, 2023, 5:23 PM EDT

Canadian business groups are pleading for Parliament to return to Ottawa and pass back-to-work legislation to end the ILWU Canada strike, but it will likely take days for the upper and lower houses to pass such legislation, if they heed the call.
Longshore labor

Shipping industry braced for extended strike at BC ports

Mark Szakonyi, Executive Editor | Jul 2, 2023, 1:57 PM EDT

The pressure is on the Trudeau government to use its political capital to force a deal between employers and longshore workers at the ports of Vancouver and Prince Rupert after the latter began a strike Saturday.
Longshore laborMaritimeContainer shippingContainer linesTrans-PacificNorth American portsTransport, trade and regulation

Trudeau’s resolve in spotlight with Western Canadian ports on brink of strike

Mark Szakonyi, Executive Editor | Jun 29, 2023, 3:25 PM EDT

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is generally viewed within the Canadian shipping industry as having acted too slowly — and weakly — when containerized supply chains were significantly disrupted over the last three years, notes Journal of Commerce Executive Editor Mark Szakonyi.
Longshore laborTrans-PacificNorth American portsRail

ILWU Canada plans to strike British Columbia ports on Saturday

Michael Angell, Associate Editor | Jun 28, 2023, 5:02 PM EDT

The union filed a 72-hour strike notice, which includes the Port of Vancouver, claiming maritime employers have refused to negotiate on the main issues of compensation and automation.
Longshore laborContainer shippingNorth American ports

Senators look to rein in longshore work actions with change to US labor laws

Michael Angell, Associate Editor | Jun 26, 2023, 4:33 PM EDT

The legislation comes less than two weeks after West Coast waterfront employers and the ILWU struck a tentative deal for a new labor contract after 13 months of contentious talks that saw the union slow down port operations on numerous occasions.
Longshore laborNorth American ports

ILWU scores 32% wage increase, $70 million bonus in tentative new contract

Bill Mongelluzzo, Senior Editor | Jun 16, 2023, 1:47 PM EDT

In addition to a 32% increase in dockworker wages over the life of the six-year deal, the tentative US West Coast longshore labor agreement includes a one-time $70 million bonus for staying on the job during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Longshore laborContainer linesTrans-PacificMarine terminalsNorth American ports

Tentative West Coast longshore deal triggers lengthy ratification process

Bill Mongelluzzo, Senior Editor | Jun 15, 2023, 4:00 PM EDT

After 13 months of contentious negotiations that spawned numerous job actions by dockworkers, the ILWU and waterfront employers will engage in a ratification process expected to take several months.
Longshore laborContainer shippingContainer linesMarine terminalsNorth American ports

West Coast labor deal finally reached, but the damage is done

Peter Tirschwell | Jun 15, 2023, 2:12 PM EDT

Labor woes along the West Coast over the past year highlighted a stark difference: Shippers on the East and Gulf coasts are customers whose business is valued, while West Coast shippers are not customers in the traditional sense, but more like helpless bystanders, writes Peter Tirschwell.
Container shippingContainer linesTrans-PacificLongshore labor

ILWU, US West Coast employers reach tentative deal on new six-year contract

Bill Mongelluzzo, Senior Editor | Jun 14, 2023, 10:18 PM EDT

The deal, subject to ratification by both parties, ends 13 months of contentious negotiations marked by on-again, off-again job actions that disrupted port operations on the West Coast and diverted growing volumes of cargo to the East and Gulf coasts.
Longshore laborContainer shippingPortsNorth American ports

USWC talks notch some progress, but random job actions continuing

Bill Mongelluzzo, Senior Editor | Jun 14, 2023, 2:30 PM EDT

Minor progress in West Coast longshore talks came as ports operated without significant disruption on the first shift Wednesday, but were not completely spared some measure of labor action by workers.
Longshore laborContainer shippingContainer linesMarine terminalsNorth American ports

West Coast ports ‘stable’ after ILWU, PMA agree to cooling off period

Bill Mongelluzzo, Senior Editor | Jun 13, 2023, 1:35 PM EDT

The two sides will attempt to use the apparent truce brokered by Labor Secretary nominee Julie Su to reach agreement on the highly contentious issue of wages, which triggered disruptive job actions by ILWU locals over the past week.
Longshore laborContainer linesMarine terminalsNorth American ports

UPDATE: ILWU Canada votes to strike if contract talks fail

Michael Angell, Associate Editor | Jun 12, 2023, 5:30 PM EDT

The vote to authorize a strike at Vancouver and Prince Rupert comes as negotiations between the ILWU and maritime employers on the US West Coast appeared to hit a new low over the weekend.
Longshore laborContainer shippingNorth American ports

West Coast ports hit with new round of cargo-handling disruptions

Bill Mongelluzzo, Senior Editor | Jun 12, 2023, 3:34 PM EDT

Disruption flared at West Coast ports as the Biden administration’s nominee for Labor Secretary flew to San Francisco in a bid to break the impasse in contract negotiations that some fear are rapidly deteriorating.
Container shippingContainer linesMarine terminalsLongshore laborNorth American ports

Maritime employers seek White House help with West Coast contract impasse

Mark Szakonyi, Executive Editor and Peter Tirschwell | Jun 12, 2023, 2:34 PM EDT

The Pacific Maritime Association hopes Labor Secretary nominee Julie Su can get ILWU negotiators to move closer to a level of wage increases that puts an agreement within reach.
Longshore laborContainer shippingContainer linesTrans-PacificPortsMarine terminalsNorth American ports

LA-LB vessel backlog cleared as West Coast negotiators remain at bargaining table

Bill Mongelluzzo, Senior Editor | Jun 9, 2023, 3:10 PM EDT

Talks between the ILWU and maritime employers continued Friday for a third straight day, which sources called a positive indicator with negotiations hitting the 13-month mark this weekend.
Longshore laborContainer shippingContainer linesMarine terminalsNorth American ports

Southern California ports navigate vessel backlog after ILWU job actions

Bill Mongelluzzo, Senior Editor | Jun 8, 2023, 4:47 PM EDT

Cargo handling was back to normal Thursday in Los Angeles and Long Beach for the first time in a week, but the ports are now struggling with a large vessel backlog after not having sufficient longshore labor.
Longshore laborContainer shippingContainer linesMarine terminalsNorth American ports