US West Coast ports shut due to a lack of workers, raising supply chain concerns

Posted on April 14, 2023   |  

The Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach have shut for 24 hours as a result of low dock workers, which was driven by joint measures by the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU).

From the evening of 7 April, many workers including cargo loading and unloading operators at the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach had yet to come to work.

Southern California and the state economy depend on the ability of the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach to stop this market share erosion.

However, the ILWU denied the allegation and stated that workers were at the membership meeting which resulted in a slowdown of the work.

Union workers at the ports had been working without a contract since the last agreement expired on July 1, 2022. 

The prolonged labor dispute led big retailers to shift cargo to East and Gulf Coast ports to bypass disruptions.