Biden urged to intervene as US could see supply chain disruptions on West Coast
Jenny Goldsberry
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The largest lobbying group in the United States is recommending President Joe Biden get involved in labor negotiations that began last year.
U.S. Chamber of Commerce President Suzanne P. Clark wrote a letter to the president Friday asking that the administration “intervene immediately” and provide an independent mediator in the ongoing negotiations between the International Longshore and Warehouse Union and the Pacific Maritime Association. This is the third round of negotiations in twenty years, with government intervention taking place in two of those instances.
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Roughly 22,0000 workers are represented by the ILWU, which covers 29 maritime ports across California, Oregon, and Washington. These ports account for 12.5% of the nation’s GDP and over 50% of all U.S. imports.
Negotiations began in May 2022 and have so far only resulted in agreements regarding healthcare and benefits, with the stalemate coming from a desire to double wages, which begin at $32.31.
“Over this period, the ILWU at the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach refused to dispatch lashers who secure cargo for trans-Pacific voyages and unfasten cargo after ships arrive,” PMA wrote in a statement Friday.
“In total, 559 registered longshore workers who came to the dispatch hall were denied work opportunities by the Union.”
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In the meantime, some companies have diverted cargo to the East and Gulf Coasts to avoid any supply interruptions.
The letter was also carbon copied to Julie Su, Biden’s nomination to labor secretary, who does not yet have a date to hold a vote on the floor, a key sign that her nomination still doesn’t have the votes.