Retailers fret as products languish on ships, docks at ports

[unhappycamper]

http://www.thenewstribune.com/2015/02/13/3637159/retailers-fret-as-products-languish.html



Container ships wait at the dock to be unloaded at the Port of Oakland Thursday, Feb. 12, 2015, in Oakland, Calif. Companies that operate marine terminals didn't call workers to unload ships Thursday that carry car parts, furniture, clothing, electronics, just about anything made in Asia and destined for U.S. consumers. The partial lockout is the result of an increasingly damaging labor dispute between dockworkers and their employers. The two sides have been negotiating a new contract, and stalled talks have all but paralyzed 29 ports that handle about one-quarter of U.S. international trade, around $1 trillion worth of cargo annually.

Retailers fret as products languish on ships, docks at ports
By JUSTIN PRITCHARD
February 13, 2015

LOS ANGELES — It's early for many Americans still sloshing through winter to plan their gardens, home improvements and spring sports leagues, but stores gearing up for warmer weather are fretting that they won't have some products to sell due to a labor crisis at West Coast seaports.

The critical gateways for international trade have become more like parking lots for massive cargo ships that haul a you-name-it selection of consumer goods made in Asia and return there with U.S. exports.

The result: Containers of shovels, fencing, bathroom tiles, shoes, even parts to make summer camp footlockers are stuck at the docks or on ships anchored just offshore.

~snip~

Dockworkers and their employers have been negotiating a new contract since May, but in recent weeks talks have stalled, all but paralyzing 29 ports that handle about one-quarter of U.S. international trade. That's around $1 trillion worth of cargo annually.

[unhappycamper]

1. And: Hampton Roads likely to benefit from West Coast port dispute

http://hamptonroads.com/2015/02/hampton-roads-likely-benefit-west-coast-port-dispute

Hampton Roads likely to benefit from West Coast port dispute
By Robert McCabe
The Virginian-Pilot
© February 13, 2015

The labor dispute between West Coast dockworkers and port managers continued to flatline Thursday, with 29 ports from the Pacific Northwest to Southern California virtually shut down because of a “partial lockout.”

The West Coast labor issue appears to be benefiting East Coast ports – including Hampton Roads – and could continue to do so this year and beyond.

According to The Associated Press, West Coast employers said they weren’t calling in workers to unload container ships.

Fifteen ships scheduled to call Thursday at the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, Calif. – the nation’s two largest ports – were set to join about 20 others already anchored off the coast, waiting for berths.