June 10 (Reuters) – The Pacific Maritime Association (PMA), which represents terminal operators, said on Twitter on Saturday that coordinated and disruptive industrial action led by the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) has shut down cargo operations at the port. Seattle.
“On today’s first shift, the ILWU refused to send any longshore workers to the container terminals, which has resulted in the closure of the port,” he said.
The ILWU, however, accused the West Coast ports of being open and the PMA “using unilateral information to influence the process”.
“Despite what you hear from the PMA, West Coast ports remain open as we continue to operate under our finalized collective bargaining agreement,” said ILWU International President Willie Adams.
Unions are seeking wage increases that reflect workers’ contributions. They want additional compensation for hours worked since their contract ended.
Stretching from California to Washington state, West Coast ports are critical to the US supply chain and economy. More than 22,000 shipyard workers have been working without a contract since July.
The largest U.S. trade group urged President Joe Biden on Friday to intervene immediately and appoint an independent mediator to resolve the protracted West Coast ports labor dispute.
In a letter to Biden, U.S. Chamber of Commerce CEO Susan Clark cited “continued and potentially widespread service disruptions at these ports heading into peak shipping season.”
The Port of Seattle did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.
Reporting by Gokul Pisharodi in Bengaluru; Editing by Diane Craft and Andrea Ritchie
Our standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
[ad_2]