January 14, 2015 — There are more container ships sitting in the bay, more trucks waiting in line outside terminal gates, and more local businesses losing customer orders.
he seasonal rush is over and federal mediators are in San Francisco to help settle a contract dispute between shippers and longshoremen. The conditions at the congested Port of Oakland and other West Coast ports should be improving then, right?
Actually, it’s getting worse. There are more container ships sitting in the bay, more trucks waiting in line outside terminal gates, and more local businesses losing customer orders.
And the two sides are taking potshots at each other.
The International Longshore and Warehouse Union, representing 20,000 dockworkers at those ports, “has crippled what were fully productive terminals” at Oakland and other West Coast ports, the Pacific Maritime Association, which represents shipping lines and terminal operators, said Monday. The International Longshore Union responded that the PMA is “making nonsensical moves … creating gridlock in a cynical attempt to turn public opinion against workers.”
Read the full story from SF Gate