Newhouse, retailers glad labor secretary will intervene in West Coast ports dispute
February 17, 2015 |10:47 AM
Rep. Dan Newhouse, R-Wash., and the National Retail Federation over the weekend praised President Barack Obama’s decision to send Labor Secretary Tom Perez to California to help mediate negotiations in the labor conflict at the West Coast ports.
Perez flew Monday to California to work on negotiations between the Pacific Maritime Association (PMA) and the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU), the Associated Press reported.
“I am encouraged by the administration’s response to calls for stepped-up involvement to address the dispute that has already crippled the West Coast’s export economy and had a devastating impact on Central Washington,” Newhouse said.
“I strongly urge both parties to remain at the negotiating table until a resolution is quickly reached to end the prospect of an even more damaging long-term port shutdown,” Newhouse added.
NRF Vice President for Supply Chain Jonathan Gold said, “We welcome the administration’s attention to this important national and international economic and supply chain issue, and hope it recommits the two sides to reaching a deal. The slowdowns, congestion and suspensions at the West Coast ports need to end now.”
Last week, Western Growers President and CEO Tom Nassif said in a news release, “We strongly urge President Obama to become personally and immediately engaged to get both sides to end this dispute and quickly restore operations at our ports.”
Nassif said that the labor conflict “is harming California’s exports of perishable fresh produce. This is of great concern for our state’s economy. In just the last quarter of 2014, the value of U.S. exports of fresh vegetables, fruit and tree nuts to major markets in the Pacific Rim region totaled over $5 billion.
“Perishable agricultural commodities cannot withstand these types of unplanned delays, and neither can customers,” Nassif said. “Many shippers have made the hard decision to forego exports, hoping to find alternative homes for their produce — in some instances fetching a lower price for the farmers. Nonperishable exports, although delayed, will survive, but for perishable agricultural commodities, the losses will only continue to escalate.”
▪ ABC News — Top US labor official arrives as West Coast ports back up
▪ SFGate— West Coast port dispute hurts California citrus growers
Perez flew Monday to California to work on negotiations between the Pacific Maritime Association (PMA) and the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU), the Associated Press reported.
“I am encouraged by the administration’s response to calls for stepped-up involvement to address the dispute that has already crippled the West Coast’s export economy and had a devastating impact on Central Washington,” Newhouse said.
“I strongly urge both parties to remain at the negotiating table until a resolution is quickly reached to end the prospect of an even more damaging long-term port shutdown,” Newhouse added.
NRF Vice President for Supply Chain Jonathan Gold said, “We welcome the administration’s attention to this important national and international economic and supply chain issue, and hope it recommits the two sides to reaching a deal. The slowdowns, congestion and suspensions at the West Coast ports need to end now.”
Last week, Western Growers President and CEO Tom Nassif said in a news release, “We strongly urge President Obama to become personally and immediately engaged to get both sides to end this dispute and quickly restore operations at our ports.”
Nassif said that the labor conflict “is harming California’s exports of perishable fresh produce. This is of great concern for our state’s economy. In just the last quarter of 2014, the value of U.S. exports of fresh vegetables, fruit and tree nuts to major markets in the Pacific Rim region totaled over $5 billion.
“Perishable agricultural commodities cannot withstand these types of unplanned delays, and neither can customers,” Nassif said. “Many shippers have made the hard decision to forego exports, hoping to find alternative homes for their produce — in some instances fetching a lower price for the farmers. Nonperishable exports, although delayed, will survive, but for perishable agricultural commodities, the losses will only continue to escalate.”
▪ ABC News — Top US labor official arrives as West Coast ports back up
▪ SFGate— West Coast port dispute hurts California citrus growers
