US West Coast labour dispute intensifies as ILWU Canada workers vote to strike

HOUSTON (ICIS)–Members of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union Canada (ILWU Canada) voted almost unanimously over the weekend in favour of a strike amid persistent allegations that union labourers are taking actions to slow or even halt movement of vessels through the ports.

The Pacific Maritime Association (PMA), which represents the 29 West Coast ports in the negotiations, said that coordinated and disruptive work actions led by the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU), which represents about 22,000 dockworkers, effectively shut down cargo operations at the Port of Seattle.

The work actions affected the second and third shifts on Friday and the first shift on Saturday, according to the PMA.

Officials with the Port of Seattle did not respond to a request for comment, and the union denied that it was taking any adverse actions.

“Despite what you are hearing from PMA, West Coast ports are open as we continue to work under our expired collective bargaining agreement,” ILWU International President Willie Adams said in a statement.

The statement said the ILWU remains committed to bargaining a contract that is fair and equitable and represents the hard work and contributions of its members toward the ongoing success of the multi-billion-dollar shipping industry.

Television news channel CNBC reported that the Acting Labor Secretary Julie Su is actively involved in the negotiations.

ICIS did not immediately receive a response to a request for comment after a phone call to the department.

Su was previously secretary of the California Labor and Workforce Development Agency and has relationships with both sides in the dispute.

The vote among membership of ILWU Canada was 99.24% in favour of “supporting strike action against the member companies of the BC Maritime Employers Association if necessary”.

Union members have been working for more than a year since the previous agreement expired, and recently there was optimism that a deal was close.

In May, the executive director of the Port of Los Angeles said he thought a tentative agreement was imminent.

The Marine Exchange of Southern California (MESC) said that after several months without any backups, it is now starting to see delays in the queue for vessels arriving and departing the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach in Southern California.

On Monday the MESC said there were four departure delays but did not include a reason.

The previous backlogs at the West Coast ports brought on by the surge in demand during the pandemic and concerns of shippers about delays that could arise from the labour dispute has contributed to a shift in import volumes from the West Coast to the US Gulf and East Coast ports.

Container ships are relevant to the chemical industry because while most chemicals are liquids and are shipped in tankers, container ships transport polymers such as polyethylene (PE) and polypropylene (PP), which are shipped in pellets.

Thumbnail image shows the San Pedro Bay complex at the Port of Los Angeles. Photo courtesy of the Port of Los Angeles.