Correction: Port of Long Beach Executive Director Mario Cordero told us June 12 that the port “continues to be open, with all six container terminals operating and moving cargo” as of that morning (see 2306120046).

Work slowdowns continued in recent days at West Coast ports amid contract negotiations between the Pacific Maritime Association and the International Longshore and Warehouse Union, at least according to the PMA -- the ILWU said the ports are "open" and its members "continue to work."

Acting Labor Secretary Julie Su and her staff "have been working tirelessly" with the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) and the Pacific Maritime Association (PMA) to help the two sides come to a labor deal, Gene Seroka, executive director of the Port of Los Angeles, told CNBC June 8. Seroka said the Labor Department is talking with both sides "to keep this progress moving" after some West Coast ports experienced disruptions during the last week from work stoppages caused by the labor negotiations (see 2306050077 and 2306060077).

Marine terminal operator APS East Coast (Amports) engaged in "a series of schemes and efforts to unlawfully restrict stevedoring services" and charged $1.2 million in "baseless" fees, Ports America Chesapeake (PAC) and Marine Terminals Corporation-East (MTCE), said in a June 2 complaint to the Federal Maritime Commission. PAC and MTCE, which provide stevedoring services in Baltimore, also accused Amports of subjecting them to "prejudicial treatment" compared with other stevedores "without legitimate transportation justifications," interfering with their stevedoring business and contracts and "unreasonably refusing to deal" with them.

Trade groups this week called on the Biden administration to intervene in labor negotiations between dockworkers and West Coast marine terminals, saying a prolonged breakdown in talks could lead to severe port disruptions (see 2306050077).

Major West Coast ports have experienced recent disruptions as dockworkers and marine terminals continue to negotiate over a labor deal (see 2303270032).

SSA Terminals will soon launch an "innovative approach" to "track and analyze the potential of providing extended weekend hours for shippers," Federal Maritime Commissioner Carl Bentzel said June 1. The program, which will be rolled out at SSA's terminals in Oakland, Seattle and Tacoma next month, will allow shippers to schedule a time during the week to pick up cargo on a Saturday or Sunday.

The International Longshore and Warehouse Union said it has reached a "tentative agreement" with the Pacific Maritime Association on "certain key issues," but talks are still ongoing. ILWU Local 13, which represents dockworkers at the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, said in an April 20 press release that talks "are continuing on an ongoing basis until an agreement is reached" on a new labor contract (see 2303270032).

Operations have resumed at both the Port of Los Angeles and the Port of Long Beach after workers returned for their evening shift on Friday night, Bloomberg reported on April 7, ending a worker shortage that began the previous day (see 2304070060). The Pacific Maritime Association, which represents West Coast ports, had claimed that the shortage was due to deliberate action by the International Longshore and Warehouse Union amid contract negotiations (see 2304070060).

A dockworker shortage at the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach stretched into a second day April 7, according to a report in the Los Angeles Times, in what the Pacific Maritime Association called a “concerted action to withhold labor” by the International Longshore and Warehouse Union amid contract negotiations. The ILWU local said its workers remain on the job.