Another Labor Dispute

The union representing port workers on the East Coast and at the Gulf recently canceled contract negotiations with the terminal operators represented by the United States Maritime Alliance. U.S. Meat Export Federation President Dan Halstrom says the current five-year contract expires at the end of September. “September 30th sounds like a long way away, but for a complex agreement like this we’re coming down to crunch time,” said Halstrom. “While the West Coast ports are probably a little bit more critical to our business with all the Asian traffic, the East and Gulf ports are still critical. About 45 percent of our waterborne pork exports go through the Gulf and East Coast and I think it’s around 25 or 30 percent on the beef side.” When there was a labor dispute at West Coast ports in 2022, both sides agreed to keep working during the contract talks. Halstrom said the East Coast and Gulf Longshoremen said they will not move any cargo past the expiration of the contract.