Taipei Customs Pact With Beijing – Last week Taiwan and China signed a cross-strait customs cooperation agreement to be implemented by the beginning of next year. The agreement will help reduce trade barriers and streamline cargo inspection procedures.
Read more from Taiwan Today
ILA to Protest Next Week – The International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) is planning to protest the hiring of non-ILA labor to load military ammunition for the Marines at the Naval Weapons Station in North Charleston. For months, the ILA has complained about the hiring of International Union of Operation Engineers (IUOE) workers from Jacksonville, FL to handle the ammunition. The ILA will picket at the North Charleston weapons base and at Marine Corps headquarters in Washington next Monday.
Read more from Journal of Commerce
Peru and El Salvador Restart Trade Negotiations – Negotiations for a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between Peru and El Salvador began in November 2010 and were suspended earlier this year. However, Peru’s Minister of Foreign Trade and Tourism and El Salvador’s Foreign Minister have expressed interest in restarting the FTA negotiations.
Read more from Malaysian National News Agency
National Labor Relations Board Settles Portland Dispute – On Monday, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) awarded the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) the job of plugging, unplugging and monitoring reefer containers at the Port of Portland. The International Warehouse and Longshore Union (ILWU) and the Pacific Maritime Association (PMA) both oppose this decision and have the option to fight it.
Read more from Oregon Live
