Seattle, WA
West Coast port labor issues persist from Los Angeles to Seattle, with supply chain frustration mounting
A container ship is shown at the Port of Los Angeles in Los Angeles, California, November 22, 2021.
Mike Blake | Reuters
Just hours after the reopening of the West Coast ports on Monday after multiple closures that began at the Port of Oakland last Friday when some union workers refused to report for assignments, issues remain at select terminals within ports from Los Angeles to Seattle, with labor slowdowns and shift closures.
ITS Logistics tells CNBC its truckers were turned away by the terminal operator Fenix Marine Services, which is owned by ocean carrier CMA-CGM, at the Port of Los Angeles during the first shift Monday. They were picking containers from a variety of ocean carriers. Containers processed through the terminal include those owned by Maersk, OOCL, COSCO Shipping, Sealand (a Maersk company), and Evergreen.
“Navigating the ports on the entire West Coast over the last four days has been extremely frustrating for us and our clients,” said Paul Brashier, vice president of drayage and intermodal at ITS Logistics. “If it were not for updates from our drivers and our visibility software applications, we would not have even known about terminal closures Friday, throughout the weekend, and into today. Terminal announcements were severely lagging at best if they were issued at all, and announcements from the ILWU were misleading,” he said in a reference to the International Longshore and Warehouse Union, which has been engaged in a protracted battle over a new contract with port management.
Terminal alerts to trucking companies obtained by CNBC starting at 9:39am PT show some import appointments being canceled at Fenix Marine. Later in the morning, the dayside shift was cancelled, though Brashier learned of the cancellations earlier from his truckers who were turned away from picking up their containers.
Another Los Angeles Port terminal, Pacific Container Terminal (owned by SSA) announced Monday morning to truckers they would be closing the dayside shift on Tuesday. The terminal was already closed Monday for a scheduled closure which was announced approximately a week ago.
The Port of Los Angeles, the nation’s busiest port, processes $440 billion in cargo value per year. That market share has declined with more trade moving to the East Coast over the past year, at least partially due to labor issues on the West Coast that had supply chain managers worried about reliability of service. Recently, as the labor negotiations on the West Coast were said to have made progress, more trade started coming back. Port officials tell CNBC there are 52 vessels in route from China to the Port of Los Angeles, a number of vessels they have not seen since the diversion of trade to the East Coast and pullback in shipping orders. Oakland has also seen a recent increase in volume.
The Port of Long Beach is open and operating today after issues over the weekend, although two of its six container terminals were closed for the day shift. Operators of those terminals made the decision to close based on operational needs and were expected to reopen for the evening shift, the port said in a statement. TTI which closed the dayside shift Monday will open their second shift Monday afternoon but the appointments are light.
Port officials have stressed since Friday that they are operational, with select closures, and the ILWU said talks between the union and port management have not broken down. When issues began last Friday in Oakland, the union described actions by rank-and-file members to not show up for shift assignments as “voicing their displeasure.” The ports’ negotiation body, the Pacific Maritime Association, described it as coordinated union action.
On Monday, port sources said workers reported to assignments, but that slower than required performance led some workers to be relieved of duties. SSA Terminal in Seattle was reported to have released laborers working a vessel for not maintaining standard operating levels.
The ILWU and PMA are not commenting, citing a media blackout.
These operational disruptions have a cost to the supply chain and risk more damage to key sectors which ultimately flow through to consumer prices.
Sending drivers to ports on the off-chance that logistics companies may be able to get containers out either incurs dry-runs — when containers cannot be pulled — or congestion limits the amount of turns a driver can do in a day, Brashier explained. The congestion creates a situation where two or three extra truck drivers are needed to be hired to remove the containers stuck in congestion. “Both are charges that we do our best to avoid to prevent inflationary pressure throughout the supply chain,” he said. ITS Logistics is continuing to staff weekends and around the clock despite the new headwinds, he added.
The National Retail Federation issued a statement on Monday reiterating its position that the Biden Administration should intervene in the labor talks, worried delays could fuel inflation and impact the delivery of products during peak shipping season which runs from July to October, covering back-to-school and holiday seasons.
“It is imperative that the parties return to the negotiating table. We urge the administration to mediate to ensure the parties quickly finalize a new contract without additional disruptions,” said David French, senior vice president of government relations at NRF in a statement.
Project44, a CNBC Supply Chain Heat Map provider, tells CNBC the ongoing labor disruptions at ports along the West Coast will cause significant repercussions on global supply chains if not solved promptly.
MarineTraffic, a CNBC Supply Chain Heat Map data provider analyzed he vessels traveling from China to the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach and identified some vessels loitering in the water awaiting to dock at the Port of Los Angeles. The MSC Jeongmin was seen leaving the Port of Oakland, traveling down the coast of California, and then stopping in the open waters off of Santa Barbara where it proceeded to circle in place.
With a 40% share of imports flowing into the U.S. passing through these ports, persistence of terminal shutdowns will trigger reduced inventories and a continued shift away from West Coast ports to ports like New York, said Jenna Slagle, senior data analyst with with Project44.
“These additional disruptions will force retailers and other important shipping partners to continue to shift cargo away from the West Coast ports until a new labor contract is established,” French said.
The current labor strife already has impacted the delivery of containers at ports where issues have arisen.
Container wait times for the ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles are both experiencing a slight increase in dwell times.
North of the ports of LA and Long Beach, the Port of Oakland has seen the most impact as it relates to container wait times.
On Monday, the Port of Oakland’s marine terminals were operational, said Robert Bernardo, spokesman for the port.
There will be changes coming to Seattle Mariners television broadcasts, though what that means for viewers is yet to be known.
According to The Athletic’s Evan Drellich, the Mariners are set to become the eighth team under MLB’s “in-house broadcasting group.”
M’s legends Ichiro, Félix among new names on Baseball HOF ballot
Does this mean TV broadcasts of Mariners games will be available beyond subscribing to a cable provider that includes ROOT Sports? That answer isn’t clear. But it does make the possibility of tuning in Mariners games in a different format more likely than before.
The Mariners have an arrangement “unique to the rest” of the teams under MLB’s broadcasting arm, according to an article by Drellich published Tuesday.
“It’s just complicated because they have distribution agreements that ran longer,” MLB commissioner Rob Manfred said of the Mariners, per Drellich’s article. “We’ll do the production for them, not clear how much more.”
This bit of news was just a small part of a much larger report by Drellich on MLB’s long-term TV broadcasting plans.
Seven other MLB teams will have MLB Media serve as their 2025 television broadcaster, most having come to MLB Media after Diamond Sports Media declared bankruptcy. The league is angling towards new national TV packages in 2028, according to Drellich’s report, and the MLB’s effort to pull that off will only be helped by having as many teams under its own broadcasting umbrella as possible.
ROOT Sports Northwest has been the longtime home of Mariners TV broadcasts. The Mariners initially owned a 71% stake in the regional sports television network beginning in 2013, but has owned 100% of the channel since Jan. 1, 2024.
One change that is known for the Mariners on TV in 2025 is that play-by-play broadcaster Dave Sims will no longer be a part of the announce team after he became the new radio voice of the New York Yankees last week.
Seattle Mariners offseason coverage
• Drayer’s Rebuttal: Why Mariners shouldn’t trade a starting pitcher
• Mariners Odds & Ends: Could Seattle reunite with former prospect?
• What would a Roki Sasaki signing mean for Mariners?
• Drayer: The legacy Dave Sims leaves in Seattle
• Why All-Star Alec Bohm makes sense as a Seattle Mariners target
The Seahawks were six-point underdogs to the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday. They trailed most of the game. Yet, in the end, they came out victorious thanks to a few key moments going their way. Here are five turning points in their big win.
10:17 2nd Quarter: Devon Witherspoon deflects a pass from Brody Purdy, Johnathan Hankins intercepts
The Seahawks trailed 7-3 early in the second quarter. The 49ers looked to go on a drive to go up multiple scores. Quarterback Brock Purdy tossed a pass intended for star running back Christian McCaffrey. Seattle’s Pro Bowl cornerback Devon Witherspoon jumped in the way and batted the pass in the air. That allowed nose tackle Johnathan Hankins time to find the ball in the air and come down with the interception, the first of his 12-year career. That stalled the 49ers drive and set the Seahawks up to get a field goal to cut the deficit to one.
3:25 3rd Quarter: Ken Walker III 1-yard touchdown run
Down 10-6, the Seahawks had a chance to take the lead with a touchdown drive. They mounted an 11-play drive that took six minutes and ate up 70 yards. Facing 2nd and Goal from the one, the Seahawks went to a heavy formation and handed the ball off to Ken Walker III. He bowled into the end zone for the go-ahead touchdown.
3:06 4th Quarter: Christian McCaffrey tackled for 1-yard loss
The 49ers were nursing a 17-13 lead and had the ball, following a big defensive stop on 4th and inches against Seattle’s offense. The 49ers had a chance to seal the game with this drive. There was doubt the Seahawks would even get the ball back. Then, the defense stepped up. Perhaps the biggest play of the drive was tacking Christian McCaffrey for a one-yard loss. Coby Bryant came flying in and tackled the All-Pro running back for a loss. That put the 49ers behind the sticks and eventually led to a punt, giving the Seahawks one more chance.
2:07 4th Quarter: Geno Smith completes pass to Jaxon Smith-Njigba for first down on 3rd and 5
The Seahawks took advantage of that chance given to them by the defense. However, they faced a big third down early in the drive. Geno Smith stood tall and fired a bullet to Jaxon Smith-Njigba for the first down to continue the drive. The second-year receiver caught 10 passes for 110 yards on the day, but none were bigger than this catch.
0:18 4th Quarter: Geno Smith runs for 13-yard, go-ahead touchdown
This was arguably one of the top plays of the entire NFL weekend. On second down, the Seahawks had zero timeouts left. Geno Smith could not afford to be tackled in bounds or the game was likely over. Smith scrambled left and found the corner of the endzone for a touchdown. That score gave Seattle a 20-17 lead with under 15 seconds left. It sealed Seattle’s first win over the 49ers since December 2021 and Geno Smith’s first as the quarterback of the Seahawks.
Seahawks’ Olu Oluwatimi, Abraham Lucas Impress in Season Debuts
Jaxon Smith-Njigba Emerging as Budding Star in Seahawks’ Aerial Attack
Ernest Jones, Seahawks’ Defense Flash ‘Special’ Potential in Win vs. 49ers
Seahawks Waive TE Tyler Mabry
Seahawks Bring Back DL Brandon Pili on Practice Squad
Seattle weather: Tracking a stormy Tuesday
FOX 13 Seattle Meteorologist Clare Anderson has your latest western Washington weather forecast!
We saw scattered showers into Monday evening along with chilly temperatures this afternoon. It was a calm November day compared to what we will see by Tuesday evening, as a “bomb cyclone” moves just offshore of Washington. The forecast headlines tonight include strong winds, widespread rain, and heavy mountain snow in the Cascades starting Tuesday afternoon through early Wednesday.
With scattered showers this evening and chilly temperatures this afternoon, it was a calm November day compared to what we will see by Tuesday evening.
Showers will continue to taper this evening with overnight lows dropping into the mid to low 30s. Showers could see a few snowflakes mixed in as snow levels drop tonight to around 1500′.
Showers will continue to taper this evening with overnight lows dropping into the mid to low 30s. (FOX 13 Seattle)
It will be a fairly dry start to the day with morning clouds and a few showers. Skies will stay dry around Puget Sound through midday, but wind and rain will start to ramp up along the coast by the afternoon. Highs will stay below average, highs only in the mid to upper 40s.
It will be a fairly dry start to the day with morning clouds and a few showers.
Strong winds will trigger a High Wind Warning and Wind Advisory for Western Washington Tuesday afternoon through early Wednesday morning. The strongest winds will be along the coast, Strait of Juan de Fuca and the Cascade Foothills with gusts up to 65 mph possible. The rest of the Puget Sound will be breezy, with gusts around 45-50 mph.
Strong winds will trigger a High Wind Warning and Wind Advisory for Western Washington Tuesday afternoon through early Wednesday morning. (FOX 13 Seattle)
Strong winds and heavy mountain snow are expected for the Cascades above 2500 feet by Tuesday evening. A Blizzard Warning will be in effect for the mountain passes and a Winter Storm Warning for Central and Eastern Washington.
Strong winds and heavy mountain snow is expected for the Cascades above 2500 feet by Tuesday evening.
The strongest rain, wind and mountain snow will continue overnight Tuesday into Wednesday morning. Showers will continue into Wednesday.
Rain, wind and mountain snow will continue overnight Tuesday into Wednesday morning. (FOX 13 Seattle)
Showers and cool weather will continue through the rest of the week into the weekend. Temperatures remain on the cool side with more snow in the Cascades as well.
Showers and cool weather will continue through the rest of the week into the weekend.
MORE NEWS FROM FOX SEATTLE
Sentenced at 16, survivor details harrowing abuse at WA juvenile facility
Boeing to lay off nearly 2,200 WA workers in December
Bryan Kohberger’s defense challenges DNA evidence, warrants in ID quadruple murder case
Nonprofit names Seattle’s UW among top anti-Jewish colleges in US
Woman shot in Chinatown-International District
‘Chicken Scam Lady’ spotted in Tacoma, accused of striking again in Auburn, Kent
‘Belltown Hellcat’ faces Renton court again over assault on his mother
To get the best local news, weather and sports in Seattle for free, sign up for the daily Fox Seattle Newsletter.
Download the free FOX Seattle FOX LOCAL app for mobile in the Apple App Store or Google Play Store for live Seattle news, top stories, weather updates and more local and national coverage, plus 24/7 streaming coverage from across the nation.
SpaceX launches sixth Starship test flight, with Trump in attendance
Garcelle Beauvais is outspoken, on and off 'Real Housewives of Beverly Hills'
Diddy Sued For Two More Alleged Sexual Assaults
Proposition 32 was just rejected. In blue California, why did the minimum-wage boost fail?
Trump nominates Dr. Oz to head Medicare and Medicaid and help take on 'illness industrial complex'
Colorado Rockies game no. 116 thread: Zac Gallen vs José Ureña
See it: Tesla crashes into Columbus convention center at 70 mph
Fox News Politics: Georgia the whole day through
Why Marjorie Taylor Greene was ‘kicked out’ of the Freedom Caucus according to Rep. Buck
Death of missing Oregon girl found in stream ruled homicide
G20 Summit: Brazil's president calls for more action on climate change
Who is Linda McMahon? Donald Trump taps WWE co-founder, top ally to be education secretary
Graham asks 51 intel officials on Hunter laptop letter if they'd still sign it now amid threats to clearances
Why are New Zealand’s Maori protesting over colonial-era treaty bill?
Manhattan prosecutors ask for additional pause in Trump hush-money criminal case
-
News1 week agoHerbert Smith Freehills to merge with US-based law firm Kramer Levin
-
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25724877/Super_Nintendo_World.png "The next Nintendo Direct is all about Super Nintendo World’s Donkey Kong Country")
Technology1 week agoThe next Nintendo Direct is all about Super Nintendo World’s Donkey Kong Country
-
Business6 days ago
Column: OpenAI just scored a huge victory in a copyright case … or did it?
-
Health6 days agoBird flu leaves teen in critical condition after country's first reported case
-
Business3 days agoColumn: Molly White's message for journalists going freelance — be ready for the pitfalls
-
Politics1 week ago
Editorial: Abortion was on ballots across the country in this election. The results are encouraging
-
World7 days agoSarah Palin, NY Times Have Explored Settlement, as Judge Sets Defamation Retrial
-
Politics2 days agoTrump taps FCC member Brendan Carr to lead agency: 'Warrior for Free Speech'
