Here’s the situation. The International Longshore and Warehouse Union Local 63 Office Clerical Unit (OCU) are on strike.
The strike is having a severe impact on the flow of cargo being imported and exported through the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach as well as jobs.
40% of the nation’s imports come in through the Los Angeles and Long Beach ports, so this strike is not only hurting the community around the port but of the whole nation.
The employers have made offer and renewed offers to the OCU and are reaching out through mediation, trying to resume talks that have been broken off.
So far, there has been sign from OCU that they are willing end the strike and negotiate.
In a statement from negotiating teams representing employers at the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, they say:
“The OCU’s unreasonable demands and unwillingness to meet with a mediator continue to hold the harbor – and national – economy hostage for the sake of their own self-interest. That is simply irresponsible.”
At this point, I have to agree.
OCU employees are the highest paid clerical workers in America, with annual compensation packages of approximately $165,000 per year. I don’t make a quarter of what they do.
“In an effort to resolve this dispute, the harbor employers have offered to enter into mediation on numerous occasions throughout the last two and one-half years, as recently as this week. However, the OCU rejected the offer and put up pickets instead. These uncompromising and disruptive tactics run counter to the best interests of the Los Angeles region and the nation,” according to the statement mentioned above.
Here’s a look at what the terminals currently look like:
Port of Long Beach Terminals CLOSED:
Pier T = TTI (Hanjin terminal) – Lines served: Hanjin/KLine/Cosco/Yang Ming/NYK/Hapag/OOCL/CMA-CGM/MSC
Pier G = ITS (KLine terminal) – Lines served: Hanjin/KLine/Cosco/Yang Ming/JAS Service
Pier F = LBCT (OOCL terminal) – Lines served: OOCL/NYK/Hapag
Port of Long Beach Terminals OPEN:
Pier J = PCT ( Cosco Terminal operated by SSA) – Lines served: Cosco/Hanjin/KLine/Yang Ming/CMA-CGM/Zim
Pier A = SSAT (MSC & Zim main terminal operated by SSA) – Lines served: MSC/Zim
Pier C = SSAT (Matson terminal operated by SSA) – Lines served: Matson
Port of Los Angeles Terminals CLOSED:
Berth 100 = WBCT (China Shipping terminal) – Lines served: China Shipping/Hanjin/KLine/Cosco/Yang Ming/Evergreen/Zim
Berth 121-131 = YMCT (Yang Ming terminal) – Lines served: Yang Ming/Hanjin/KLine/Cosco/China Shipping/Evergreen/Zim
Berth 212-225 = YTI (NYK terminal) – Lines served: NYK/OOCL/Hapag
Berth 226-236 = Evergreen (Evergreen terminal) – Lines served: Evergreen/China Shipping/Zim
Berth 302-305 = GGS (APL terminal) – Lines served: APL/HMM/MOL/Hapag/Evergreen
Berth 401-404 = APM (Maersk terminal) – Lines served: Maersk/Horizon/Hapag/OOCL/SAF/NYK/MSC/CMA-CGM/US Lines
Berth 405-406 = CUT (Hyundai terminal) – Lines served: APL/HMM/MOL
Port of Los Angeles Terminals CLOSED:
Berth 135-139 = Trapac (MOL terminal) – Lines served: MOL/APL/HMM/Hamburg Sud
