Congestion Continues, ILWU Caucus, PCS Update

ILWU Caucus Resumes Mid-Month – The International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) is set to have a mid-December caucus in San Francisco to determine the fate of their contract negotiations with the Pacific Maritime Association (PMA).  They could either vote for a tentative approval of the contract or to resume negations with the PMA.   Resume negotiations would likely guarantee no agreement before 2015.

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Carriers Agree to Postpone Congestion Surcharge till 2015 – After a couple weeks of flip flopping on a massive Port Congestion Surcharge (PCS), the Federal Maritime Commission (FMC) announced that 15 steamship lines have agreed to hold off on the surcharge until next year.

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Congestion Continue to Plague West Coast Ports – This week, 11 cargo ships were anchored off the coast of Los Angeles waiting to dock at Southern California’s massive port complex.  Chassis issues as well as the lack of a new dockworker contract continue to cause major delays for shippers.  Additionally, with the coming rush of Chinese New Year in Q1, congestion problems are likely to remain for the foreseeable future.

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