Longshoremen Strike 12/29/2012

To all Sea and Air Experts customers and Associates....

Longshoremen strike may shut down US East Coast ports....

Nearly 15,000 dockworkers at 14 ports on the US eastern seaboard, organized by the International Longshoremen’s Union (ILU), may go on strike in the event that the union and port owners cannot agree on a new contract by Saturday at midnight.

The Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service, a non-binding governmental arbitration agency, has requested that both the ILA and the United States Maritime Alliance (USMX), which represents the port owners, shippers and other interests, meet one more time before the current contract expires.

A strike would cripple container shipping from Boston, Massachusetts to Houston, Texas. It would be the first ILA strike since 1977. The ILA would continue to handle non-containerized cargo and military cargo.

Current contract negotiations between the ILA and USMX started in March 2012, six months before the contract expiration date. In September, USMX and the ILA extended negotiations on a new contract through December 29, a gift from the union to the employers that guaranteed smooth operation of the ports during the busy holiday season.

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