Arrival of bigger ships carrying more goods
Congestion has been causing weeks-long shipment delays and forced businesses to consider contingency plans before the holidays.
Port officials said a “perfect storm” of issues is behind the congestion, including the arrival of bigger ships carrying more goods, the lack of available chassis and unresolved labor talks between dockworkers and employers.
The Pacific Maritime Association and the International Longshore and Warehouse Union have been in talks since May over a new contract that would cover about 20,000 West Coast dockworkers. Their last contract expired in July.
While they imposed a media blackout on talks, both sides vowed that there would be no business disruption while they negotiated.
But talks have grown contentious. In November, PMA accused the ILWU of work slowdowns, saying that dockworkers are working at half-speed at some ports and not dispatching qualified ILWU crane operators who could place containers on trucks and trains.
The ILWU has denied PMA’s slowdown allegations, blaming the union for long-standing issues that have caused the congestion at ports.