U.S. East Coast ports

East Coast port contract talks to resume

Negotiations on a new labor contract covering workers at 36 East and Gulf Coast ports are set to resume next week between employers and their longshore union.

Representatives of the United States Maritime Alliance (USMX) and the International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) will meet in northern New Jersey, where both organizations have offices, sources confirmed. 

Mediators will not be present at the talks, according to the sources, who requested anonymity as they were not authorized to comment...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/east-coast-port-contract-talks-to-resume

Biden scolds ocean carriers for not paying dockworkers ‘fair’ wages

WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden broke his silence on the labor dispute between the International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) and the United States Maritime Alliance (USMX) by accusing employers of hoarding profits.

“Ocean carriers have made record profits since the pandemic and in some cases profits grew in excess of 800 percent compared to their profits prior to the pandemic,” Biden said in a statement issued by the White House on Tuesday, after the ILA went on strike at 14 ports on the...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/biden-scolds-ocean-carriers-for-not-paying-dockworkers-fair-wages

Employers: Still time for East Coast port deal

Facing a dire countdown to the first dock strike in decades, employers at East and Gulf Coast ports say a new contract is still within reach, and publicly called for the International Longshoremen’s Association to return to contract talks.

“There has been no further progress on Master Contract negotiations – we remain committed to the bargaining process and need the ILA to return to the table,” the United States Maritime Exchange (USMX) said in a brief statement Friday.

The ILA, with the current...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/employers-still-time-for-east-coast-port-deal

Buttigieg: Rescheduling pot will not affect trucker drug testing

WASHINGTON — U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg pushed back on assertions that federal regulators could lose the ability to test truck drivers for marijuana use if the drug is deregulated down to a Schedule III substance.

Responding to that concern from lawmakers at a House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee hearing on Thursday — and to the concerns of the American Trucking Associations — Buttigieg testified that if the Biden administration’s marijuana rescheduling rulemaking...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/buttigieg-rescheduling-pot-will-not-affect-trucker-drug-testing

Port of NY/NJ volumes down from last year but up from 2019

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November cargo volumes at the Port of New York and New Jersey were 7.5% higher than pre-COVID...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/port-of-ny-nj-volumes-down-from-last-year-but-up-from-2019

Katoen Natie to invest $60M at Norfolk plastic resin export facilities

Belgium-headquartered Katoen Natie plans to spend $59.9 million to expand warehousing and rail facilities in Norfolk, Virginia, to support the growing export market for plastic resins.

Subsidiary Katoen Natie Norfolk will oversee the project, which includes the addition of a 450,000-square-foot warehouse and a rail yard, as well as an expansion of the existing rail spur.

The current facility, which is near the Port of Virginia and has access to both CSX (NASDAQ: CSX) and Norfolk Southern (NYSE:...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/katoen-natie-to-invest-60m-at-norfolk-plastic-resin-export-facilities

Port of Savannah sees fourth-busiest October

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The Port of Savannah experienced its fourth-busiest October last month, the Georgia Ports Authority...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/port-of-savannah-sees-fourth-busiest-october

CPKC and CSX file plans paving way to Mexico-Southeast corridor

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Class I railroads CSX and Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CPKC) have requested Surface Transportation...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/cpkc-and-csx-file-plans-paving-way-to-mexico-southeast-corridor

August volumes fall 28% from year-ago highs at Port of Savannah

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Port of Savannah volumes slumped year over year (y/y) in August amid gains for rail volumes at the...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/august-volumes-fall-28-from-year-ago-highs-at-port-of-savannah

August record month at South Carolina’s Inland Port Greer

South Carolina Ports’ Inland Port Greer saw record volumes in August, handling 16,857 rail moves, which is 52% higher than a year ago.

Inland Port Greer, located in upstate South Carolina between Charlotte, North Carolina, and Atlanta and served by Norfolk Southern (NYSE: NSC), is one of two inland ports in the state. 

The second is Inland Port Dillon, which is served by CSX (NASDAQ: CSX) and sits near the border between North Carolina and South Carolina. That inland port handled 3,439 rail moves...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/august-record-month-at-south-carolinas-inland-port-greer

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