The National Cotton Council joined 177 organizations on a letter at https://bit.ly/4gy4iKA to President Biden urging his administration to aid in negotiating an end to the current labor dispute between the United States Maritime Alliance (USMX) and the International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) related to the 45,000 dockworkers servicing East and Gulf Coast ports.
Negotiations between the ILA and USMX have been contentious since they began earlier this year. Strikes or slowdowns are possible if a new labor contract between the two parties is not agreed upon before September 30, when the current contract expires.
The letter to President Biden stresses that ILA and USMX must “remain at the bargaining table for as long as necessary to reach an agreement that avoids a work stoppage and the serious economic consequences that would follow.” If a resolution is not found and a strike or other disruption occurs, the letter urges the Biden administration “to utilize every authority at its disposal to ensure the continuing flow of goods and avoid undue harm to American consumers and the Nation’s economy.”
Also this week, NCC’s Vice President of Washington Operations, Robbie Minnich, was joined by representatives from the National Retail Federation, National Association of Manufacturers, American Trucking Association, and American Forest and Paper Association in a briefing for Members of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee regarding the potential port strike and its implications for NCC members.
In a separate effort, the NCC joined many organizations on a letter at https://bit.ly/4gHFsrM to the mayors of Los Angeles and Long Beach, California, urging them to oppose proposed regulations aimed at lowering emissions at the West Coast ports. As the letter points out, the proposed regulations are unrealistic given existing infrastructure and threaten to “eviscerate the region’s economy and disrupt the nation’s access to essential goods.”
