Posts tagged freight
Op-ed: Nice dock. Big shame if you modernized it, Trump warns ports
December 18, 2024 // The International Longshoremen Association (ILA), the union that represents dockworkers on the east coast and the Gulf of Mexico, went on strike briefly in early October. They won a whopping 62 percent pay increase but left unresolved a key issue: automation of the ports. The longshoremen oppose any further modernization, seeing it as an existential threat to their jobs. The problem is that American ports are some of the least efficient in the world, largely due to the lack of automation. The World Bank’s Container Port Performance Index does not have a single US port in its top 50 ranking for efficiency. Charleston and Philadelphia come in at number 53 and 55, respectively. The ports are keen to fix that and therefore oppose the union’s demand.
Trump backs dockworkers in fight against automation. The move risks higher prices, experts say
December 14, 2024 // The U.S. Maritime Alliance, or USMX, the organization representing shipping firms in negotiations, said on Thursday that such automation would improve efficiency and increase capacity. Those enhancements would benefit U.S. companies and consumers that depend on goods from abroad, the group added. “We need modern technology that is proven to improve worker safety, boost port efficiency, increase port capacity, and strengthen our supply chains,” USMX said in a statement.
Canada’s Labor Minister ends coast-to-coast port labor turmoil, forcing unions back to work
November 14, 2024 // Stephen Lamar, CEO of the American Apparel & Footwear Association, told CNBC it is relieved operations will resume at Canada’s three busiest ports and hopes a long-term, mutually beneficial agreement comes out of the negotiations. “The lockouts of the Canadian ports were causing ships to divert and contributing to congestion and delays throughout North America. As Canada faces reduced rail capacity from mandatory winter train length safety restrictions, and the U.S. West Coast faces two-year high rail dwell times, further disruptions would greatly strain the transportation networks,” Lamar said.
Back-to-work order issued for two major Canada railroads. Union will comply, but lawsuit planned
August 26, 2024 // Labour Minister Steven MacKinnon order the lockouts to end just over 16 hours after they began because government officials couldn’t bear to watch the economic disaster unfold if the railroads remained shut down. MacKinnon noted the board’s decision in a post on the social platform X and said he expects the railroads and employees to resume operations as soon as possible. Businesses all across Canada and the United States said they would quickly face a crisis without rail service because they rely on freight railroads to deliver their raw materials and finished products. Without regular deliveries, many businesses would possibly have to cut production or even shut down.
Railroad Workers Were Ready to Strike. Now They’re Fighting to Save Their CEO.
March 5, 2024 // abor groups representing Norfolk conductors, locomotive engineers, machinists and other workers have made public comments in support of Chief Executive Alan Shaw as he comes under pressure from activist Ancora Holdings. The groups account for over half of the railroad’s unionized workforce.
Yellow closure affecting 800 Hoosier union truckers
August 21, 2023 // The nearly 100-year-old company was known for its “less-than-truckload” business model, meaning it delivered freight for multiple customers on the same truck. The company was significantly popular, growing to be one of “the Big Three” carriers in the country until trucking was deregulated in 1984. That meant nonunionized carriers could come to market, building competition for the big three.
‘Dubious at best’: Railroad workers’ rejection of new contracts revives strike fears
October 13, 2022 // For consumers, the result would be empty shelves and delayed shipments during the time of year they rely on them most. Passenger rail systems around the country, including many Amtrak routes, were also gearing up to shut down before negotiations prodded by the Biden administration yielded a tentative deal in mid-September. “It is a trade union principle that if a railroad union goes on strike, other railroad unions honor that strike,” said Peter Kennedy, who directs strategic coordination and research at BMWE. And at this point, reaching a new tentative agreement seems “dubious at best.” Deputy Labor Secretary Seth Harris,
US can focus on clearing rail jams after labor deal reached, LA Port director says
September 19, 2022 // About 28,000 containers were awaiting a train at the Port of Los Angeles Thursday, a figure that is about three times higher than where it should be, Los Angeles Port Executive Director Gene Seroka told reporters. Additionally, rail facilities in cities like Chicago, Kansas City and Dallas are facing jams, Seroka noted. “Rail has been challenged for months throughout the national freight network,” Seroka told reporters Thursday. “Since spring, we've seen spikes in volume as well as backlogs and bottlenecks.”
We haven’t completely dodged a ‘disastrous’ rail strike, rail workers say
September 15, 2022 // After years of an increasingly taxing work environment, longtime rail employees are worn down — and not trusting that the tentative agreement reached by their union officials and employers will deliver for them. “It just feels like we’re going to be forced into a deal that I’ve heard nobody say anything positive about,” said the track worker.
Supply chain concerns grow as deadline for freight rail strike looms
September 15, 2022 // A pair of unions representing 57,000 conductors and engineers say they are willing to strike over quality-of-life issues if they can’t reach a contract deal with rail carriers.