What West Coast Ports' Labor Negotiations Mean for Your Packages
- About 22,000 workers at 29 ports see contract expire July 1
- Talks happen as the labor movement regains momentum in the US
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As the US’s largest ports in California moved record amounts of cargo amid pandemic-induced supply-chain bottlenecks, union dockworkers strengthened their indispensable role in the nation’s logistics network.
But the expiration of labor contracts with more than 22,000 West Coast port workers this summer could throw a wrench in the recovery plans of the twin hubs of Los Angeles and Long Beach, which handle about 42% of all US containerized trade with East Asia.