Shipping containers at the Port of Seattle.
Patti Domm | CNBC
Labor conflicts continued on the west coast with the announcement that the Port of Seattle was closed due to the International Warehousing and Coastal Union (ILWU) refusal to send workers to work at the container terminals. This is according to an announcement by the Pacific Maritime Association (PMA) representing terminals at ports.
West Coast ports have faced continuous worker disruptions and layoffs for an entire week, estimated 5.2 billion dollars of trade floating off the ports of Los Angeles, Long Beach and Oakland.
In an emailed statement, ILWU said the union remained committed to negotiating a “fair and equal” contract, while demonstrating the hard work and contribution of its members to the continued success of the industry. transportation worth billions of dollars.”
The ILWU also accused the PMA of using the media to leverage one-way information to influence the process.
“Despite what you’re hearing from the PMA, West Coast ports remain open as we continue to work on our expired collective bargaining agreement,” said International President Willie Adams.
The Port of Seattle and its twin, the Port of Tacoma, make up what is known as the Northwest Seaport Alliance (NWSA). The Port of Seattle is one of the leading shipping ports in North America that U.S. agricultural exporters rely on to transport their produce and grain. About 40% of Washington State’s jobs are tied to commerce.
The top trading partners are China, Japan, Vietnam, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines and India by 2022.
The Agricultural Transportation Coalition (AgTC), which represents agricultural shippers, told CNBC that these disruptions are damaging the reputation of U.S. agricultural exporters as a trading partner. reliable.
“When the ILWU-PMA negotiations broke down at the end of the previous contract, the Japanese Ministry of Agriculture wrote to our US Department of Agriculture, saying: ‘Your port is not working but cows are running. Ours is still eating.’ Peter Friedmann, chief executive officer of AgTC, highlighted the impact of these West Coast disruptions being felt around the world.
The top six U.S. exports according to the port’s website include apples (valued at $2.185 billion), dairy (valued at $1.209 billion), livestock (worth $801.5 million), wheat (valued at $1.209 billion), cattle (worth $801.5 million), wheat (valued at $1.209 billion). valued at $756.8 million), potatoes ($712.4 million) and hay ($601.7 million). Total export value in 2022 is 5.66 billion USD.
The NWSA is the nation’s second largest gateway for refrigerated containers known as “refrigeration ships”. Frozen products such as chips, meat, milk, apples and fish are shipped in these specialized containers.
“Our agriculture cannot stand still and cannot be stored on terminals,” says Friedmann. “We can’t consistently miss trips and deliver commitments to overseas buyers.”
Friedmann said agricultural exporters, with very few exceptions, do not have the option of shifting from West Coast gateways to the East and Gulf Coasts. But he warned customers, foreign buyers do.
“They’re called Argentina, Brazil, Australia, New Zealand,” says Friedmann. “We don’t want to lose these customers.”
NWSA is also an auto import port with a terminal dedicated to Roll-On and Roll-Off trains. Car imports were up 6.5% in 2022 compared to 2021, with 172,979 units delivered. Kia and hyundai Cars use this port.
CNBC has reached out to the Port of Seattle and at press time had no comment.
