West Coast Ports, Dockworkers Face 2022 Clash Amid Port Snarls
- Almost 15,000 workers’ contracts are set to expire next summer
- Automation is ‘sword of Damocles’ over talks, analyst says
A worker operates a forklift to move shipping containers at the Port of Oakland in Oakland, on Oct. 26, 2021.
Photographer: David Paul Morris/BloombergThis article is for subscribers only.
With a near-record 75 container ships waiting outside the U.S.’s largest port complex in southern California, unionized dockworkers have strengthened their indispensable role in the supply chain.
Facing high import volumes, the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach are ramping up to 24/7 operations to help ease the congestion that experts say could continue well into next year. The San Pedro Bay ports are also levying a surcharge on ocean carriers whose containers languish too long.