ILA strike

ILA sets wage review as longshore contract nears ratification vote

The International Longshoremen’s Association is expected within days to send a tentative contract with port employers to membership for ratification.

A source familiar with the process confirmed to FreightWaves reports that the ILA’s local wage scale committees are scheduled to meet this week in Florida to review the pact with the United States Maritime Alliance (USMX) covering approximately 25,000 dockworkers in container handling at 14 ports on the Eastern Seaboard and Gulf Coast.

Once the...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/ila-sets-wage-review-as-longshore-contract-nears-ratification-vote

Port strike threat gone, trans-Pacific container rates level out

The threat of a longshore strike at East and Gulf Coast ports is gone, and trans-Pacific ocean container rates to the United States have leveled out, for now.

“Frontloading ahead of the possible January strike had helped keep North America container rates elevated into November but were no longer a driver of rates as the strike deadline got closer,” wrote Judah Levine, head of research for analyst Freightos, in a weekly update.

For the week ending Jan. 10, the Freightos Baltic Index found...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/port-strike-threat-gone-trans-pacific-container-rates-level-out

Labor strife, tariffs to shadow ocean shipping in 2025

Ocean shippers can’t be blamed for feeling a little seasick. Port strikes, trade concerns, changing carrier alliances and geopolitics will continue to roil maritime transportation in 2025.

Red Sea

The attacks on Red Sea shipping by Yemen-based Houthi rebels that all but shut down the Suez Canal to major carriers and reshaped global supply chains have shown signs of abating. The attention of Iran, the Houthis’ main sponsor, has been distracted by serious domestic issues and Russia, which was...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/labor-strife-tariffs-to-shadow-ocean-shipping-in-2025

CMA CGM delays US East Coast container surcharge

Ocean container carrier CMA CGM is delaying a key U.S. surcharge, instead pairing implementation of two related surcharges later this month.

On Monday the French liner operator postponed from Jan. 1 to Jan. 15 a peak-season surcharge of $1,500 per unit on cargo moving from the Indian subcontinent, Middle East Gulf region, Red Sea and Egypt to the U.S. East and Gulf coasts.

While peak season surcharges aren’t unusual, the postponement follows a report by FreightWaves that negotiations between the...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/cma-cgm-delays-us-east-coast-container-surcharge

Port strike threat helps boost trans-Pacific container rates

A late-year freight surge has kept ocean container rates elevated on trans-Pacific routes to the United States.

Routes from Asia to the U.S. West and East coasts showed narrow increases for the week ending Dec. 20, according to shipping data analyst Freightos, and are about 15% higher than at the start of December, on midmonth general rate increases by carriers.

Asia-U.S. West Coast prices increased 4% to $4,452 per forty-foot equivalent unit for the week. Asia-U.S. East Coast prices were up 2%...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/port-strike-threat-helps-boost-trans-pacific-container-rates

Shippers urge longshore union, employers to resume contract talks

With just weeks to go until a contract extension runs out, a coalition of shippers is urging East and Gulf coast port employers and union longshore workers to resume negotiations to avert another port strike.

In a letter to International Longshoremen’s Association President Harold Daggett and David Adam, chairman and chief executive of the United States Maritime Alliance, a coalition of 267 trade associations led by the National Retail Federation said it was “imperative” for the sides to return...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/shippers-urge-longshore-union-employers-to-resume-contract-talks

Predictions platform says longshore strike not a sure bet

While negotiations on a new East Coast longshore contract remain at a standstill, online bettors aren’t convinced a January strike is inevitable.

Users of crypto predictions platform Polymarket on Thursday rated odds of a work stoppage at 43%, down from a high of 64% Nov. 13 but up 28% in intraday betting.

The International Longshoremen’s Association broke off talks with the United States Maritime Alliance Nov. 13 over what the union said were efforts by employers to replace workers by forcing...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/predictions-platform-says-longshore-strike-not-a-sure-bet

Union, employers resume war of words in East Coast port contract dispute

The war of words resumed this week between port employers represented by the United States Maritime Alliance (USMX), and the International Longshoremen’s Association union and their 45,000 workers at East and Gulf Coast ports.

The sides had agreed to a media blackout when contract negotiations resumed following a three-day strike by the union that shut down container handling in early October. But that ceasefire was apparently abrogated after the ILA broke off talks Nov. 13, accusing employers...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/union-employers-resume-war-of-words-in-east-coast-port-contract-dispute

Container rates buoyed by tariff, strike threats 

The dual threats of tariff hikes and port strikes continue to buttress ocean freight rates through what is historically a post-peak trough.

Asia to U.S. West Coast rates fell 4% to $4,905 per forty-foot equivalent unit while Asia-U.S. East Coast prices climbed 13% to $6,095 per FEU for the week that ended on Friday, according to the Freightos Baltic Dry Index.

Some frontloading ahead of a possible strike by the International Longshoremen’s Association after an extension of the coastwise master...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/container-rates-buoyed-by-tariff-strike-threats

ILA strike – is 1 week the bogey?

How long will it last? 

The duration of the strike is the question of the hour. With the ILA rejecting the offer of a 50% pay increase over six years, that remains unclear, but the bullets below are a few different perspectives to consider. They generally point to the strike lasting about one week, plus or minus.

  • The Biden administration reportedly said U.S. supply chains are resilient enough to handle a one-week strike. The implication is that it might invoke Taft-Hartley to start a cooling-off...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/ila-strike-is-1-week-the-bogey

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