SAN FRANCISCO (June 5, 2023) – Over the weekend and continuing today, the ILWU has continued to stage concerted and disrup ve work ac ons that have slowed operations at key marine terminals at the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach and elsewhere on the West Coast, including the Ports of Oakland and Seattle.
Union leaders are implementing many familiar disruption tactics from their job action playbook, including refusing to dispatch workers to marine terminals, slowing operations, and making unfounded health and safety claims.
The ILWU’s coast-wide work actions since June 2 are forcing retailers, manufacturers and other shippers to shift cargo away from the West Coast in favor of ports on the Atlantic and Gulf coasts. Much of the diverted cargo may never return to the West Coast.
Cargo diversion eliminates quality jobs far beyond the docks, including truck drivers, warehouse workers, and thousands of others whose livelihoods depend on ongoing operations at the port. A study by maritime economist Dr. John Martin found that 95,957 jobs directly relied on the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach in 2021. ILWU job actions drive business and jobs away to other parts of the country, and further erode confidence in West Coast ports. Too much is at stake for this harmful disrup on to continue.