ILA Negotiations Will Resume – The International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) and the United States Maritime Alliance (USMX) have agreed to resume contract negotiations the week of September 17th at the request of the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service (FMCS). The contract expires on September 30th and covers about 15,000 dockworkers at East and Gulf Coast ports from Maine to Texas. The ILA has threatened to strike if new contract terms are not agreed upon when the current contract expires.
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Terminal Operations Resume After Hurricane Isaac – The New Orleans Terminals have resumed full operations this week after disruptions caused by Hurricane Isaac. The U.S. Coast Guard reopened the Mississippi River on September 1st and the port has been able to work through the backlog after the four day closure.
Read more from Journal of Commerce
Canada and Costa Rica Modernize FTA – Canada and Costa Rica have announced that the modernization of their Free Trade Agreement (FTA) is in its final stages of negotiation. The FTA has been active since November 2002, but the modernization of the FTA will enhance opportunities for both countries.
Read more from Costa Rica Star
Port of Seattle Clean Truck Program Update – The Port of Seattle has announced an update to their Clean Truck Program. As of February 1, 2013, stickers will no longer give trucks access to the port’s container terminals. Truckers will require a Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tag instead.
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