West Coast ports were shut down again Sunday night by shipping lines who locked out union cargo crews at the start of the evening shift.
Members of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union were locked out of ports in California, Oregon and Washington for an indefinite period beginning with the 8 p.m. shift Sunday.
The Pacific Maritime Assn.(PMA), made up of shipping lines and terminal owners, had reopened the ports at 8 a.m. Sunday after a 36-hour lockout, but PMA officials accused the union of deliberately slowing down the flow of cargo from the ports.
Shipping line officials said it would cost them more to run the ports at a diminished capacity than it would to shut them down, so they locked out union workers prior to the evening shift on Sunday.
The PMA initially turned union workers away on Friday afternoon, but by Sunday morning, the ports were back in business, with the exception of San Francisco Bay, where 10 large ships filled with containers waited, untouched since Friday's lockout.
In some terminals, cranes began moving containers. In others, not enough dock workers were dispatched from the union hall to start operations, the Associated Press reported late Sunday.
Friday's lockout began after the association representing shipping lines accused longshoremen of staging slowdowns to gain leverage in contract talks.
The International Longshore and Warehouse Union said it simply told its members at 29 major Pacific ports to strictly follow safety and health regulations because the employers were bargaining in bad faith.
Over the 36 hours the docks were closed, about 30 ships had to moor outside berths at ports in Los Angeles, Oakland, Seattle and Tacoma.
Jim Haughey, Newport Communication's senior economist, said the port shutdown will impact the economy within a few days. "Truck and rail freight will decline marginally, retailers will begin losing sales on items not unloaded, and manufacturers will have to pay for more expensive air freight on items critical to keeping production lines running," Haughey said.
Much, but not all of this can be made up later when the ports reopen, he added. "The economic impact of a shutdown for up to a week will be too small to affect economic growth in the 4th quarter. But a longer shutdown will have a measurable impact," he said. "Prior to the shutdown there was already concern that war, oil and possibly slower consumer spending growth after the summer spending boom could mean subpar economic growth in the fall."
Haughey said imported goods are equal to 12% of GDP and exported goods are 7%. About 20% of these pass through West Coast ports. None of the trade with our two largest trading partners -- Canada and Mexico -- goes through West Coast ports.
"Clothing, household items, and toys will impacted most since they are heavily imported from Asia. On the export side, farm products, machinery, motor vehicles and motor vehicle parts are the key exports to Asia delivered by ship."
Members of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union were locked out of ports in California, Oregon and Washington for an indefinite period beginning with the 8 p.m. shift Sunday.
The Pacific Maritime Assn.(PMA), made up of shipping lines and terminal owners, had reopened the ports at 8 a.m. Sunday after a 36-hour lockout, but PMA officials accused the union of deliberately slowing down the flow of cargo from the ports.
Shipping line officials said it would cost them more to run the ports at a diminished capacity than it would to shut them down, so they locked out union workers prior to the evening shift on Sunday.
The PMA initially turned union workers away on Friday afternoon, but by Sunday morning, the ports were back in business, with the exception of San Francisco Bay, where 10 large ships filled with containers waited, untouched since Friday's lockout.
In some terminals, cranes began moving containers. In others, not enough dock workers were dispatched from the union hall to start operations, the Associated Press reported late Sunday.
Friday's lockout began after the association representing shipping lines accused longshoremen of staging slowdowns to gain leverage in contract talks.
The International Longshore and Warehouse Union said it simply told its members at 29 major Pacific ports to strictly follow safety and health regulations because the employers were bargaining in bad faith.
Over the 36 hours the docks were closed, about 30 ships had to moor outside berths at ports in Los Angeles, Oakland, Seattle and Tacoma.
Jim Haughey, Newport Communication's senior economist, said the port shutdown will impact the economy within a few days. "Truck and rail freight will decline marginally, retailers will begin losing sales on items not unloaded, and manufacturers will have to pay for more expensive air freight on items critical to keeping production lines running," Haughey said.
Much, but not all of this can be made up later when the ports reopen, he added. "The economic impact of a shutdown for up to a week will be too small to affect economic growth in the 4th quarter. But a longer shutdown will have a measurable impact," he said. "Prior to the shutdown there was already concern that war, oil and possibly slower consumer spending growth after the summer spending boom could mean subpar economic growth in the fall."
Haughey said imported goods are equal to 12% of GDP and exported goods are 7%. About 20% of these pass through West Coast ports. None of the trade with our two largest trading partners -- Canada and Mexico -- goes through West Coast ports.
"Clothing, household items, and toys will impacted most since they are heavily imported from Asia. On the export side, farm products, machinery, motor vehicles and motor vehicle parts are the key exports to Asia delivered by ship."
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