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As union dockworkers prepare to strike when the current master contract expires, the International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) again emphasized its members will walk off the job if a new contract is not in place by October 1. Disputes over wages and automation have brought bargaining to a standstill. A Biden administration official stated that President [...]

On September 13, 2024 The US Trade Representative (USTR), published the following update on the status of the implementation of additional Section 301 Tariffs on China origin goods. “Today’s finalized tariff increases will target the harmful policies and practices of the People’s Republic of China that continue to impact American workers and businesses,” said Ambassador [...]

The International Longshoremen's Association (ILA) Wage Scale Delegates have unanimously backed a potential strike on October 1, 2024, if a new Master Contract with the United States Maritime Alliance (USMX) is not reached by the September 30 deadline. The decision was made after a two-day meeting of nearly 300 ILA delegates from 13 port areas [...]

The Panama Canal is easing limits that caused shipping gridlock as severe drought ends and water levels normalize. Last year’s El Niño caused a significant drop in rainfall and forced the canal to implement daily transit restrictions for the first time in history. The Panama Canal Authority administrator Ricaurte Vasquez told reporters that the draft [...]

As master-contract talks between the International Longshoremen's Association (ILA) and United States Maritime Alliance (USMX) evolve, an East and Gulf Coast port strike could be in less than a month. Shippers should start preparing, as significant disruptions are imminent with the potential strike. With the current contract ending in less than a month, no industry [...]

This is an update on a previous newsletter. The original post may be found here. On August 30, 2024, The US Trade Representative (USTR), published the following update on the status of the implementation of additional Section 301 Tariffs on China origin goods: On July 30, 2024, USTR announced its intention to make public in [...]

The shutdown that briefly stalled billions in freight by the two largest Canadian railroads could take a week or more to recover fully. Though the Canadian National and Canadian Pacific Kansas City unionized workforce returned to work Monday, and train movements were halted for less than 24 hours, CN and CPKC had embargoed shipments for [...]

The  Canada Industrial Relations Board (CIRB) ruled on Saturday to allow imposing binding arbitration to end job action in Canada’s rail sector which supported Canadian Labor Minister Steven MacKinnon’s directive to assist the railroads and Teamsters Canada Rail Conference (TCRC) union parties in settling outstanding terms of their collective agreement. The freight rail networks of Canadian [...]

The NCBFAA Transportation Committee wants to remind our members that the Canadian rail strike threat remains in place until the contracts between Canada’s two Class 1 railroads and the Teamsters Canada Rail Conference (TCRC) are reached. TCRC union leaders on Friday afternoon challenged the Canadian government’s Aug. 22 labor contract arbitration order, which canceled the [...]

The International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) is seeking an almost 80% wage increase over the life of its next six-year contract with maritime employers on the East and Gulf coasts. Two ocean carrier sources familiar with the negotiations told the Journal of Commerce that the ILA is currently seeking a $5-per-hour increase in wages for each [...]