California Ports Have Union Problems, Making Punta Colonet Mega-Port More Attractive

Union workers at the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach helped make the case for construction of the mega-port at Punta Colonet, Mexico, by staging a strike for 11 days, ending today… a strike in which arbitrators ruled the workers (900 clerical employees) were negotiating in bad faith with the 14 shipping companies that do business at the ports. In all likelihood, the Punta Colonet mega-port will not be unionized, guaranteeing a continuous flow of goods from Asia to the U.S. and Canada. The clerical workers had twice tried to shut down loading and unloading at five terminals; both times arbitrators ruled against them. There’s still no contract in place and the union says it is appealing the rulings against them. The ports could still be shut down in the coming days.